Will Oxford get their first points in the EFL Trophy?

Starting the group with a heavy defeat against Cambridge United, Oxford United are aiming for their first points on the second matchday of the EFL Trophy. For “The U’s”, the home match against Stevenage FC is on the agenda. Like the hosts from Oxford, the visitors from Hertfordshire started the group stage with a defeat.

Stevenage FC lost their home match against the youth team of Tottenham Hotspur, even breaking the seven-goal mark. Anew offensive spectacle cannot be ruled out in the away match in Oxford, especially as both teams – especially Oxford United – are not expected to be in their best line-up

The EFL Trophy is by no means the most prestigious cup competition, after all it only features teams from the lower divisions and the Premier League youth teams. Favourites dying is therefore the order of the day in the EFL Trophy.

It would therefore be no surprise if Stevenage FC were to overcome the away hurdle at the League One club as big underdogs – at least according to the best bookmakers. In the event of success for the visitors, attractive odds will be paid out for tip 2 on Oxford vs Stevenage.

Oxford – Statistics & current form

Oxford United slumped after a promising start to the season, but in the meantime “The U’s” have found their way back to success and have overcome their form crisis. They recently won two matches in a row and thus made a small jump in the table. The gap to the play-off places in League One is now only one point.

It is therefore all the more important to continue the current winning streak. The EFL Trophy does not come in handy at all, as the lower-class cup competition is not particularly important for a promotion aspirant like Oxford United. The defeat at the start of the group was therefore not surprising, especially as Oxford played for long periods with an under-strength team.

In addition, long-time head coach Karl Robinson had spared numerous key players in the insignificant cup match. It is quite possible that a second guard will also be relied upon on the second day of the match.

Next offensive spectacle from Oxford United?

Looking at the host’s recent results, expect some goals in the cup tie against Stevenage FC. Before the home game against their League Two rivals, Oxford United scored seven goals in their last two competitive games. That included the 5-1 thumping of Accrington Stanley in their last home game.

Robinson will be able to draw on a wide range of options against Stevenage, so it remains to be seen which starting eleven the 41-year-old will field on Tuesday evening. The U’s most prolific scorer is currently winger James Henry, who has five goals and one assist to his name. However, Henry seems unlikely to make a starting appearance in the upcoming home game.

Oxford have not lost a single home game at the Kassam Stadium this season. In fact, Robinson’s side have won four of their last six home games, with only draws against Gillingham and Wycombe Wanderers being the only defeats. Accordingly, the low odds for the prediction of a home win in the match between Oxford and Stevenage are also not surprising.

Predicted Oxford line-up:
Stevens – Seddon, Thorniley, Moore, Long – Kane, Gorrin, Brannagan – Williams, Agyei, Cooper

Last matches played by Oxford:

Stevenage – Statistics & current form

Just like Oxford United, Stevenage FC also made a false start in this year’s EFL Trophy. Despite home advantage, “Boro” suffered a home defeat against the youth team of Spurs. A total of seven goals were scored in the home match against Tottenham’s U21s – four of the seven goals were scored by the visitors from London.

The result was surprising, as Stevenage played with a first-team squad for the most part and did without a major rotation. In the second group match, “Boro” will now be at home to third division club Oxford and, as expected, will again be the underdogs. Stevenage FC have not won a competitive match against Oxford United since March 2011

It is quite possible that the negative trend will continue this season. After all, Stevenage FC have not made the best start to the season so far and are lagging behind the expectations in League Two. Ten matchdays into the season, “Boro” continue to languish in no-man’s land in the table.

Is the back line being shown up again?

One of the big problems so far has been the back line. Apart from the cup debacle against the Spurs youth team, the back line was hardly convincing in the league either. On average, they have conceded more than one goal per game. The results on the last two match days were therefore all the more surprising.

Neither in the draw against Harrogate Town nor in the home win against Hartlepool United did Stevenage FC concede a goal. Because neither of their recent opponents have been of the calibre of Oxford’s attack, recent results should not be overstated.

Like the hosts from Oxford, the visitors from Hertfordshire are also spared from personnel worries for the cup match. Compared to the starting eleven that last prevailed against Hartlepool, no major changes are likely to be expected.

Predicted Stevenage line-up:
Anang – Coker, Cuthbert, Vancooten, James-Wildin – Osborne, Taylor, Reeves, Andrade – Reid, List

Last matches played by Stevenage:

Oxford – Stevenage Direct Comparison / H2H Record

Oxford United and Stevenage FC are meeting for the 15th time across competitions. So far Oxford lead the direct comparison with a record of 5-7-2. The last time “The U’s” lost a competitive match against their upcoming opponents was almost ten years ago. Since then, there have been three wins and two draws against Stevenage FC. The last time they met, Oxford beat “Boro” 6-2 – also in the EFL Trophy, mind you.

Oxford – Stevenage Tip

For Oxford United, the primary goal this season is promotion to the Championship. The cup competitions, especially the insignificant EFL Trophy, are therefore not at all convenient for the League One club. Already in the group opener, there was a clear defeat, which was partly due to the strong rotation.

In the second group match, Oxford will probably again play with a second guard. Therefore, the role as favourites against Stevenage FC, a club from the fourth-tier League Two, should not be overestimated. The visitors certainly have the potential to beat a possible B-team of Oxford United.

The first group game of Oxford United and also Stevenage FC broke the three-goal mark. Tendentially, we also think it’s obvious to place bets on a high-scoring cup encounter between the two clubs on matchday two. For Oxford vs. Stevenage , our betting odds are on over 2.5 goals in the match