Oxford United get to test themselves against mighty Manchester City on Tuesday night and for Manager Karl Robinson it is a chance for the players and the fans to show what the club is all about.
United are the overwhelming underdogs at 28/1 to win the game but as Karl told iFollow, his side will give it all they have got in front of a sell-out crowd.
“I’m looking forward to it, we all are” he said. “We will try and take the game to them when we can. If a chance comes then you have to take it. We create more chances than the opposition in a lot of games but don’t take them. On Tuesday night it will be role reversal because we will have the lower number of opportunities, less possession and we have to make the most of what we have.
“It’s going to be busy around the ground but the Oxford fans turn out in big numbers when there is an occasion like this and they will wear their yellow shirts with pride. I’m not overly proud right now about some of the results we have accumulated but that will turn. Amazing things can happen if you believe in yourself and in the people around you. We have immense belief in each other here. I can’t promise you that we can put recent results right against Manchester City but let’s enjoy the occasion and if the result is anywhere near positive then it will be a great story for everybody involved.”
United welcome Cameron Brannagan back after a head injury ruled him out for seven days, but Karl hinted that there may be one or two more changes to the team as he builds for the future:
“We will make changes and I want to give some of the younger players their opportunity because I think that’s important for their development and for the future. If they can play against some of the best players in the world it is certainly going to support their development and support the future of this football club.
“Let’s get one things straight, I am still massively frustrated after the game on Saturday and I feel the hurt along with the fans. We had honest conversations with the players over the weekend about what we want to achieve here, and we are a long way off that at the moment. Maybe in my ignorance I thought we could do it immediately, but in reality it takes time. I had three transfer windows at Charlton and you see what’s going on there, and had time to build things at MK Dons and won promotion.
“So I know the fans were frustrated on Saturday. We are getting fantastic support from above, but don’t go in to Tuesday night’s game thinking we are all jovial and not hurting. I couldn’t care less who we were playing tomorrow night but we want to see desire and application. It is a celebration against one of the greatest teams in the land right now, and we don’t get that opportunity too many times.”
See the full interview plus the thoughts of Cameron Brannagan, only in iFollow