Oxford united FC
Oxford United relegation odds as Leicester set for lifeline
The U’s sit 23rd in the second tier on 39 points, with Leicester City one place above them on goal difference.
Outside the relegation zone sit Portsmouth on 40 points whilst West Bromwich Albion and Blackburn Rovers are above on 43.
Oxford have had the best run of form prior to last weekend’s defeat to Southampton, going four games unbeaten with three wins and a draw.
However, Sky Bet still has Matt Bloomfield’s men as favourites to go down with 4/11 odds.
Pompey are second favourites (4/5) for relegation and Leicester third (11/8).
Over the remaining seven fixtures, data from OLBG estimates that the Yellows have the 13th most difficult games remaining, giving them a mixed chance of survival, with a difficulty rating of 57.7.
The U’s still have Pompey to play in their possibly their biggest game before the end of the season and the hosting of already-relegated Sheffield Wednesday in the penultimate match will see them expected to win three points.
The other games against Hull City, Wrexham, Derby County, Watford and Millwall all remain tough, but Oxford have proved they can take points off anyone this season.
Elsewhere, Gary Rowett’s Leicester are tipped as having the second-kindest run-in of the Championship, with Wednesday, Blackburn, and Pompey all still to play.
Blackburn and Pompey, though, have the equal fourth-most difficult fixtures left with clashes with the likes of league leaders Coventry City and former Premier League Ipswich Town on the horizon.
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Since their defeat to the U’s, West Brom’s form has surprisingly picked up after the toxicity in the away end at the Kassam, with the Baggies picking up two draws before two wins in their previous couple of games.
They now sit at 6/1 to go down with Sky Bet.
As Oxford’s relegation rivals undergo turbulence heading into the final run of Championship matches, the Yellows have something that their competitors perhaps do not: unity.
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In their recent impressive run, Bloomfield’s men have looked cohesive and harmonious on the pitch and have found consistency in their performances at long last.
This could not have been said for West Brom and Blackburn’s visits to OX4 in which they were toxic and disjointed.
Both have picked up results here and there since playing Oxford, but the unity and underdog mentality that the Yellows have is something that they must lean into to come at the relegation battle from an angle that their opponents cannot manage.
Oxford United travel to face Mansfield Town in League One as they look to extend their unbeaten streak to five games.
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Peter Kioso and Gatlin O’Donkor both received second yellow cards as Aaron Ramsey’s men survived a late onslaught from the Stags.
Luka Lynch’s first ever goal in professional football put Oxford ahead in the first half Michael Smith found a deserved Mansfield equaliser.
The hosts had Oxford pinned back in the opening stages, a shot from Nathan Moriah-Welsh getting blocked by teammate Jon Russell.
Mark Harris glanced a Louie Sibley free kick wide with his head in response, before a stretching Rhys Oates could not quite meet a lethal low ball in.
Mansfield kept pushing then, Michal Helik recovering to stop Smith in the box.
A first save from Jamie Cumming tipped the ball wide four minutes before Russell and Deji Oshilaja both saw efforts blocked.
Another Russell dig was held by the U’s goalkeeper as United weathered the storm.
With 34 minutes on the clock, Lynch showed his quality to cut inside and bend a perfect shot into the top left corner from the edge of the penalty area and put the Yellows ahead against the run of play.
The Stags hit back when Cameron Brannagan gave the ball away in his own box leading to Russell putting the ball over with time on his side.
Nigel Clough’s side kept up their pressure but could not find the net before the break.
The hosts picked up where they left off with a blocked effort from Stephen McLaughlin and a curling shot wide from Oates.
Substitute O’Donkor had a poke at goal saved as the U’s grew into the second half before Oates broke away but was stopped impressively by Peter Kioso in the box.
That is when the wheels began falling off, Kioso receiving a second yellow for an alleged dive in the box.
Frazer Blake-Tracy out a cross over the crossbar before the equaliser came, Smith bundling into the net after Cumming failed to deal with another cross.
It went from bad to worse then, O’Donkor seeing red after a clumsy slide challenge saw him also receive a second yellow.
Mansfield battered the Oxford box in the final few minutes, the U’s managing to hold out for what proved to be a valuable point.
Stags: L Roberts, Hewitt (Maris 80), Sweeney (Blake-Tracy 74), Russell (Hendry 74), Smith, Thompson, Oates, Moriah-Welsh (T Roberts 61), Oshilaja, Reed, Abbott (McLaughlin 46)
Yellows: Cumming, Kioso, Brown, Helik, Spencer, Brannagan, Andrews, Sibley (O’Donkor 59), Lynch (Missanga 59), Harris (Currie 78), Dembele (Long 80)
Bookings: Moriah-Welsh, Russell; Kioso, O’Donkor
Red cards: Kioso, O’Donkor
Oxford United travel to face Mansfield Town in League One as they look to extend their unbeaten streak to five games.
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