Oxford United

Oxford United host Leicester City on Saturday early afternoon (12:30 BST) in a bid to claim their first victory of the season.

The U's have only one point to their name after their opening four league games, though they did gain it last time out with a 2-2 draw against Coventry City.

They will look to do one better against Leicester, who have won all but one of their league games so far (L1) to sit one point above the Sky Blues in fourth place.

It's been over three decades since the two sides last met in the English Football League - who will claim the first bragging rights of the 21st century?

• This will be the first Football League meeting between Oxford United and Leicester City since a 2-2 draw in the second tier in April 1994.

• Five of Leicester City's last seven Football League trips to Oxford United have ended in a draw (W1 L1), with both sides scoring in five of those games.

• Oxford have only won four of their last 22 league games (W4 D7), picking up the fewest points of any ever-present Championship side in that time (19 points since 22nd January).

• Leicester have won six of their last eight Championship games (L2), while the Foxes could record three successive league clean sheets for the first time since October 2022 in the Premier League.

• After a run of 15 games without a goal, Abdul Fatawu has scored in consecutive league appearances for Leicester for the first time.

Image source, Rex Features

Indonesia international Marselino Ferdinan has been loaned out to Slovak club AS Trencin for the rest of the season.

The 20-year-old attacking midfielder is currently on international duty, where he appeared as a second-half substitute in his country's 6-0 friendly win over Chinese Taipei.

Ferdinan has played just twice for the Us after joining them from Belgian club Deinze last year.

He made his debut as a late substitute in the FA Cup defeat by Exeter City last season and made his league debut against Swansea City in May, making him the first Indonesian to play in the English second tier.

"I wouldn't change a thing. I loved my time. It still is and will be my favourite football memory. When I think of that it will be Wembley, it will be promotion after being out the league for so long. It was 13 months which was a whirlwind but exciting."

This week on The Dub, Jerome Sale speaks to former Oxford United manager Des Buckingham in his first interview since being sacked by the club.

Elsewhere, Robyn Cowen, Ben Purkiss and George Elek give their verdict on the state of Oxford United's season so far and talk through the submitted 25-man squad.

Listen to the full episode of The Dub and more on Oxford United on Sounds.

Image source, Getty Images

Oxford United's latest signing Filip Krastev will make a big difference to their team, according to a journalist who watched him play in the Netherlands.

The Bulgaria midfielder, 23, has arrived on a season-long loan from Belgian side Lommel having had two spells in Holland with top-flight side PEC Zwolle.

"He's a very technical player - he can make a difference and make a goal or a lovely pass out of nothing," said reporter Erik Riemens who watches Zwolle for the newspaper De Swollenaer.

"He's a lovely player to watch and his best thing is to dribble into the midfield and give a pass or shoot on goal - he is best on the left side in the attack," he told BBC Radio Oxford.

Krastev has won 24 caps for Bulgaria, scoring one goal and Riemens says Zwolle supporters were hoping he might return to them this season.

"Zwolle has no money to buy him or loan him so the trainer said last week he talked to him a lot but he wouldn't come, the fans are disappointed but you have to be realistic," he added.

"The Championship in Holland is very big - there is no weak team so it's interesting to watch on TV and for players in Holland to play there.

"Krastev was a very popular player and the fans will watch him on TV playing for Oxford."

Krastev could make his Oxford debut against Leicester City on 13 September (12:30 BST) when the Championship resumes after the international break.

Sam Ashoo
BBC Final Score reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Cameron Brannagan is already an Oxford United legend, but if he can drag his side to Championship survival this season, it might be his greatest achievement yet.

The U's captain led from the front against Coventry and played a key role in nullifying an excellent Sky Blues midfield.

Brannagan's standout moment, though, was an outrageous free-kick that wouldn't have looked out of place in the Premier League.

Whilst the obvious option was to go over the Coventry wall, he bent it ingeniously around it, leaving goalkeeper Carl Rushworth in a state of shock.

After the game an Oxford fan posted on X saying, "Cameron Brannagan, the beating heart of this team." They are not wrong.

Image source, Getty Images

Northern Ireland defenders Daniel Ballard and Brodie Spencer have been ruled out of the forthcoming World Cup qualifiers away to Luxembourg and Germany.

Sunderland's Ballard was forced off in the first half of his side's 2-0 loss against Burnley on Saturday, while Spencer was injured in Oxford United's 6-0 Carabao Cup defeat against Brighton on Wednesday.

It is a further blow for boss Michael O'Neill, who is already without goalkeepers Pierce Charles and Conor Hazard as well as defender Ciaron Brown and midfielder Jordan Thompson through injury.

O'Neill has called up uncapped trio Kofi Balmer, Ryan Johnson and Jamie McDonnell as replacements and further cover.

Motherwell defender Balmer, 24, has made 20 appearances for Northern Ireland's Under-21 side and been called up to the senior squad on six occasions without making an appearance.

Johnson, a 28-year-old centre-back at League One AFC Wimbledon, receives his first senior call after featuring for Northern Ireland at under-21 level.

Midfielder McDonnell is currently on loan at League One side Mansfield Town from Premier League side Nottingham Forest, who took the 21-year-old from Irish Premiership side Glentoran in 2020.

He has represented his country at under-17 and under-21 level.

Northern Ireland begin their World Cup qualifying campaign in Luxembourg on Thursday, 4 September.

They travel to Cologne to take on Germany in their second Group A game on Sunday, 7 September.

Oxford United will be hoping to bounce back from a humiliating 6-0 home defeat to Premier League side Brighton in the EFL Cup, with Gary Rowett's side also searching for their first league point of the season following three defeats so far.

Frank Lampard's Coventry City side come into the game with plenty of confidence after their 7-1 thrashing of Queens Park Rangers last weekend, despite being knocked out of the EFL Cup by Millwall in the week.

• Oxford United have won just four of their 13 EFL games against Coventry City (D1 L8), though three of those victories have come on home soil.

• Coventry City have won their past two league games against Oxford United, and will be looking to win three in succession in the EFL for the first time.

• Oxford have averaged just 35% of possession across their opening three Championship matches so far this season – the lowest share of any side in the competition.

• As well as scoring the most goals in the Championship so far this season (12), Coventry also top the charts for most shots (57), most shots on target (21) and most touches inside the opposition's penalty area (114). Across England's top four tiers this season, Coventry's Milan van Ewijk has provided the most assists amongst defenders (3), whilst he's now recorded five across his last five appearances for the Sky Blues, including last season's play-offs.

"He made a brave, bold decision to drop the club captain. In Elliott Moore's last five or six years has he ever not started a game when he's available?"

"To me that's Gary Rowett stamping his authority on things because I'm sure that would've raised some eyebrows externally but maybe even internally as well."

Robyn Cowen, Ben Purkiss and George Elek discuss Oxford boss Gary Rowett's shock decision to drop club captain Elliott Moore to the bench for Saturday's 1-0 loss at Birmingham City.

Listen to the full episode of The Dub and more on BBC Sounds

Image source, Rex Features

Oxford United head coach Gary Rowett lamented his side's ineffectiveness in front of goal after their 1-0 loss at Birmingham City.

The U's failed to respond to Paik Seung-ho's first-half finish and only managed six attempts at goal compared to Birmingham's 16.

"I thought actually first half we held our position really, really well," Rowett told BBC Radio Oxford.

"We were quite aggressive in the way that we played. We started to show a little bit more composure and bravery on the ball and actually got in some really good positions.

"I think the challenge in these games and the challenge we found last season as well, is you can have a 30 minute spell against these teams where you actually keep them at bay, get in some really good positions.

"And just as that little bit of fatigue starts creeping in, you start giving the ball away on transition, you just start maybe not getting out quite as quickly and aggressively."

Birmingham City aim to keep their unbeaten run going when they host Oxford United on Saturday (15:00 BST), as striker Jay Stansfield looks to score for the third consecutive game.

The U's are chasing their first win of the season having been narrowly beaten 1-0 by Portsmouth and 3-2 by Hull City in their opening Championship fixtures.

• This will be the first time that Birmingham City and Oxford United have met in the league since December 1998, which was a 7-1 victory for the Blues.

• Oxford United won their last away league game against Birmingham City 1-0 in November 1998, a result which ended a prior 10-match winless streak at St Andrew's between September 1970 and October 1997 (D6 L4).

• Birmingham are unbeaten across their last 26 home league games since a 1-0 defeat to Cardiff City in April 2024 (W21 D5), scoring 52 goals in that time and conceding only 12.

• Oxford United could lose their opening three matches of a league season for the first time since 2018-19.

• Oxford United have failed to win any of their last seven league games against newly promoted opposition (D5 L2), since a 3-1 away victory over Carlisle United in League One in January 2024.

Oxford United look to have won the race to sign Rangers defender Ben Davies on loan with Birmingham City and QPR also rumoured to have been interested. (The 72), external

Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Friday's gossip column here.