Stoke City vs Oxford United Prediction: U’s to keep on rolling

Stoke City suffered their first defeat under Mark Robins in midweek as they went down at Fratton Park, while Gary Rowett’s remarkable run in charge of Oxford United continued with a 3-2 success over Luton Town. The U’s are now nine points above the bottom three, while the play-offs are just seven points away. 

The pair meet on Saturday afternoon (12:30, Sky Sports+), looking to secure a vital three points. Read on for my Stoke City vs Oxford United predictions, featuring betting tips and more.

Team News

Robins may choose to make some changes after an underwhelming display on the South Coast. Nathan Lowe should come back in up front having been dropped to the bench in midweek for Niall Ennis, while Josh Wilson-Esbrand was thrown straight into the team at left-back having arrived on loan from Manchester City. 

He was taken off after 67 minutes with Enda Stevens replacing him, so it will be interesting to see whether Robins sticks with the youngster for this home game. Michael Rose and Bae Jun-ho could also be in line for starts as they came off the bench at Fratton Park.

The injury issues for Stoke haven’t made for the easiest starts for the new manager, with Ben Gibson, Eric Bocat, Jordan Thompson and Lynden Gooch all out until next month. Million Manhoef, Sam Gallagher and Sam Sidibe also remain sidelined, leaving Robins with a lot to think about before the window closes. 

Owen Dale, Elliott Moore, Max Woltman and Ben Nelson are all nearing returns for Oxford, but this game may come too soon for the quartet. Rowett could choose to send the same XI out this weekend after another strong display ended in three points. Cameron Brannagan is showing his class in midfield alongside Will Vaulks, while the goals came from three of the back four against Luton. 

Michal Helik scored his first goal for the club, while fellow centre-back Ciaron Brown also found the net, before left-back Greg Leigh scored the winner. Right-back Peter Kioso may be feeling left out, so keep an eye out for him peppering the shots in during this one. Tom Bradshaw is still waiting for his first league start for Oxford, but he may be a substitute once again given the impact Mark Harris is having at the top end of the pitch.

Stoke City vs Oxford United Odds

Stoke are available to back at 1/1 which gives them an implied win probability of 50%. That’s perhaps surprising given they have only won four matches at home this term, and they are facing an in-form Oxford side. The U’s can be backed at 11/4 to win, but they’ve only won one league game on the road this term and so this is a big ask. 

A draw is up at 12/5, while over 2.5 goals is 1/1 having come in 43% of Oxford’s fixtures this term. BTTS is 4/5, and only three teams have a higher success rate than Oxford when it comes to that particular statistic. Lowe is the favourite to score first at 5/1. 

Double Chance: Draw or Oxford United @ 4/5 

How can I back against Rowett’s Oxford right now? They’ve got the same number of points across their last six matches as Leeds United (14) and are rapidly cruising their way towards survival, which was their only goal at the start of the season. The decision to replace Des Buckingham has now paid off in style, and Rowett has this group eating out of the palm of his hand. 

The U’s last lost in the league on December 21 to Leeds, and this form has carried them all the way up to 14th in the table. They have been drawing on the road of late rather than winning, but I will cover both bases here with the Double Chance selection. You simply just have to go with the team in form in situations like this and Robins may need a little longer to get this Stoke outfit moving in an upwardly direction.

Nathan Lowe to score @ 9/5

Although I’m backing Oxford to get something in an entertaining clash, I do have a Stoke selection for you. Lowe is the striker on everybody’s lips having scored 15 in 22 on loan at Walsall in the first half of the campaign. He then scored from the start against West Brom having been recalled by the Potters, but was surprisingly dropped to the bench against Pompey. 

I think Robins will recall him to lead the line here, and I’m more than happy to back the man in form to score again as he faces Oxford. The U’s have conceded 24 goals in 13 away fixtures so far, and I can’t see them keeping Stoke at bay in this one, so I will back Lowe to find the net and continue his remarkable season on Saturday. 

Offers

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