Oxford vs Lincoln Prediction: U’s to hold firm on home soil

Two teams pushing for a spot in the League 1 play-offs will meet at the Kassam Stadium on Tuesday night (KO, 19:45) as Oxford United take on Lincoln City. The U's are sixth in the table, and five points ahead of their opponents, and a win for the home side could all but end the Imps' playoff hopes.

Oxford go into this game on a five-match unbeaten run after hammering Peterborough United 5-0, while Lincoln suffered their first defeat since New Year's Day after losing 2-1 to Wigan Athletic at the weekend. Below you can find all the latest team news and match odds heading into this midweek fixture, and see our Oxford vs Lincoln prediction.

Oxford were 2-0 winners in the reverse fixture between these sides at the LNER Stadium in October. Ciaron Brown opened the scoring for the visitors in the 13th minute and a second-half own goal from Lukas Jensen made sure of the points.

Tom Shaw was in caretaker charge of Lincoln for that game but Michael Skubala was installed as the Imps' new boss on November 13, and three days later, Des Buckingham was appointed as Liam Manning's successor at the U's.

Team News

Buckingham's Oxford side were in irresistible form against Peterborough last time out, and with no fresh injuries to worry about, he may name the same starting XI for this encounter at home.

Lincoln manager Skubala saw his team’s 16-game unbeaten run end against Wigan, but he may be unwilling to make drastic changes to try for a positive result this week.

Like Buckingham, he has no major selection headaches, and he will be expecting a response from his team after their disappointing result last time out.

Match Odds

Oxford are the favourites for Tuesday's tie on home turf at 6/5, giving them an implied win probability of 45.5%, while the draw is priced at 23/10. Lincoln are 12/5 - or a 29.4% chance - to collect all three points, while both teams to score is available at 4/5.

Oxford forward Mark Harris is the favourite to score anytime at 23/10, while a high-scoring game could be on the cards, with over 2.5 goals priced at EVS. Both teams to score, meanwhile, is 4/5.

Over 2.5 goals @ EVS

Tuesday's game will mean so much to both teams as they try to secure a top-six spot. The goals have flowed for both sides in recent weeks, with the two clubs being the highest scorers in League 1 over the last 12 games.

Lincoln have scored 29 goals in their last dozen in the third tier, only three more than their hosts during the same time period.

Both teams have used attack as their best form of defence of late, and it is unlikely that anything will change at the Kassam Stadium. Oxford's last five home games in League 1 have all produced over 2.5 goals, while Lincoln have found the net in seven successive away league matches.

Oxford draw no bet @ 8/15

Lincoln have not been used to losing in 2024, with Skubala's team only losing one game during that time period on New Year's Day.

Their defeat to Wigan could not have come at a worse time due to their late playoff push, and it is unclear whether that will have an effect on the group.

Oxford have won three in a row without conceding, scoring 13 goals in the process, but they will do well to keep Lincoln at bay.

The home side should at least pick up a share of the points, but with Lincoln still fighting for a top-six spot of their own, it makes sense to play it safe and back the U's in the draw-no-bet market.

Check out the rest of our Football Betting Tips here.