Oxford United head for Rochdale on Saturday looking to close the gap on the play-off teams above them.
United are eighth in the table as they head for Spotland and in excellent form away from home, so Manager Pep Clotet knows that a win would be a huge boost for his side just ahead of the Christmas period:
“We know we have been strong away from home and it’s about keeping standards high, not making mistakes that allow Rochdale anything from the game and if we can do that then we know we have a chance to get something really positive” he told iFollow earlier.
“Rochdale did very well last year but it’s a very tough division and this year they find themselves in a position where they are fighting to stay in this league and they are using their home form to pick up most of their points
“So we know that will make it a really tight game with a lot to play for both teams, so we have to match their intensity but at the same time play our own football.”
Snow earlier in the week didn’t affect the U’s’ preparations too much, according to the Manager:
“Fortunately we have the facilities at the Oxford Academy nearby where they have a very good dome and the school has done a really good job in helping us. We were able to train with our usual intensity and work as usual so we weren’t really affected it. We enjoyed the snow outside but it didn’t affect too much.”
United have no new injuries to report and with Agon Mehmeti, Charlie Raglan and Sam Long all another week further along with their recoveries and Ivo Pekalski now back in training as well things are looking positive:
“There are no new injuries” Pep confirmed. “On the contrary we have Gino van Kessel who has been training for two weeks now and we might expect him back on Saturday.”
See the full interview plus we catch up with Ivo Pekalski and Simon Eastwood, all in iFollow right now.