Oxford United welcome Burton Albion to the Kassam Stadium on Saturday in Sky Bet League 1 (3pm)
It's our Christmas Extravaganza with lots of festive activities around the ground before kick off as The U's take on The Brewers.
TEAM NEWS
United will wait on the fitness of forwards Ruben Rodrigues and Billy Bodin before naming the squad. Rodrigues took a kick to the ankle in the game at Peterborough and missed the game at Reading in midweek with Bodin also nursing an injury from the same game and restricted to a cameo from the bench on Tuesday. Both will be hoping for a return on Saturday.
Greg Leigh, Kyle Edwards, Marcus Browne, Sam Long and Stephan Negru are all missing until the new year but Joe Bennett comes into contention for a first start after getting minutes during the last two games.
See the full interviews with Des, Josh Murphy and Joe Bennett in iFollow right now.
THE OPPOSITION
Burton caretaker boss Gary Mills has mixed memories of the Kassam Stadium having sustained a serious injury while playing there for Rushden and Diamonds. Mills dislocated his ankle on that occasion but will be hoping for much better luck as he takes charge of the Brewers for the first time after the departure of Dino Maamria last weekend.
He said: “The players are a great bunch and are really resilient. I have been in football a long time and I don’t say it lightly when I say they are a fantastic group of people.We had a meeting and said that it was a clean slate for everyone. They were all ready to work hard from the off and knew we had a lot to do.
“Today it has been about possession and how we are going to try and hurt Oxford, and tomorrow will be about out of possession and how we are going to combat them. The lads have been fully focussed and full of energy.
“It’s our job to prepare them the best we can. Under us as a management team everyone will have an input and there will be subtle changes. Everyone sees the game differently that’s the beauty of football and we will try and be more attacking, front footed and pass the ball through the thirds. We want the players to enjoy themselves and play with lots of energy and endeavour".
CHRISTMAS EXTRAVAGANZA
The festive fun outside the South Stand will run from 12pm to 2:45pm giving supporters plenty of time to eat, shop and get into the Christmas spirit before the football.
The Exhibition Bar will become a Christmas Market with John Lewis showcasing some of their Top 100 Christmas Gifts for supporters to browse, accompanied by Charlotte Tilbury, and Helen & Douglas House.
Fans can expect all these fantastic activities:
- Live Reindeer
- Festive Food
- Victorian Carol Singers
- City of Oxford Silver Band
- John Lewis Top Gifts
- Helen and Douglas House Christmas Cards
- Oxford United in the Community Gift Wrapping Station
- Half-time Christmas Karaoke
Teddy Appeal
We are asking supporters to bring a teddy to this game to donate to Helen and Douglas House, who help terminally ill children in need this Christmas. Supported by Grundon, fans will find Christmas-wrapped donation stations around the ground to leave their teddy.
ONLY DONATIONS OF NEW, CLEAN, AND BAGGED TEDDIES CAN BE ACCEPTED
Half-time Christmas Karaoke
As part of the half-time entertainment for this game, we will be spreading the festive cheer by inviting supporters to take part in some Christmas karaoke. To be considered, please fill out the form below.
Take Part: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/OUFCKaraoke
Please only sign-up for yourself and NOT to volunteer others.
TICKETS
Tickets for the game are available now. Click HERE to buy or call the Ticket Office team on 01865 337533.
The gate behind the Planet IT North Stand will be open so pedestrians can move from one end of the ground to the other behind that stand.
CLUB SHOP
The Football Special bus services, including the Didcot/Abingdon service, offer easy and affordable transport to home games and are part of the government's £2 for a ticket scheme.
POLYTHENE UK FIFTY/50
Our Polythene UK Fifty/50 tickets are available all around the ground and offer a great chance to win cash at half time.
COVERAGE
The game is available to watch overseas and listen to in the UK in iFollow.
You can also follow the whole game on Twitter through @OUFCOfficial and we will have a full match report and Gallery right here on the final whistle.
