West Bromwich Albion saw their EFL Championship title push stall before the international break so they will be desperate to get back on track with a win at Oxford United as the campaign resumes.
The Baggies racked up four successive wins to hit the summit but took just one point from their clashes with Sheffield Wednesday, Middlesbrough and Millwall to slip down to fourth place.
Carlos Corberan's side is still just two points off the pace at the top, though, so if they can win at the Kassam Stadium, it would keep them right in the mix for automatic promotion.
That won't be easy, though, with Oxford making a great start to life back in the second tier after winning promotion to League One. Most bookies had them among the favourites for relegation, but Des Buckingham's side is sitting pretty in 10th place.
Fantastic home form has been the biggest reason for that success, with the Us winning four of their five games at the Kassam Stadium in all competitions.
Title hopefuls Burnley had to settle for a point on their visit, so West Brom will need to be on top form to win.
How the bookies view it: Baggies tipped to bounce back
This is a tough one to call, with Oxford United so strong at home and West Bromwich Albion going through the sticky spell. But Betano make the Baggies favourites at evens and price the home win at 5/2, with a draw paying 23/10.
Recent head to head: Long time no see
These sides have only faced each other once since the turn of the new millennium and it was a League Cup tie a decade ago that the Baggies won on penalties after a 1-1 draw at the Hawthorns. Oxford's home record in this fixture has been good, winning the last three.
Players to watch: More Maja magic?
Josh Maja has been the main man up front for West Bromwich Albion this season, netting seven times in just nine outings. He's 2/1 with Bet365 for anytime scorer and that looks overpriced based on his scoring record this term.
Mark Harris made a flying start to the season with four goals in his first five games for Oxford United. He has since gone five games without scoring so goal may be overdue and he's 11/4 at Bet365 to get back on track.
Probable line-ups
Oxford United look set to be without Matt Phillips, Cameron Brannagan and Joe Bennett due to injury. Jason Molumby was fit enough to make a cameo off the bench for Ireland in midweek so he should keep his place in West Brom's midfield. Forward Daryl Dike remains out though.
Oxford United: Cumming, Long, Brown, Nelson, Kioso, Vaulks, El Mizouni, Goodrham, Rodrigues, Edwards, Harris.
West Bromwich Albion: Palmer, Furlong, Bartley, Ajayi, Heggem, Molumby, Diangana, Johnston, Mowatt, Fellows, Maja.
Anything else catch the eye?
Both teams to score has only landed in one of Oxford's home games this season while the last two matches at the Kassam have produced just one goal in total. Their last outing on the road at Portsmouth also produced under 2.5 goals, busting my coupon.
So all that makes me think betting against a thriller could pay off here. Under 2.5 goals pays just 3/4 at Betano but betting against BTTS is better at 10/11 with Betfred.
This match could take a while to warm up so I also like the half-time draw at 11/10 with Betfred, who price most goals to come in the second half at the same odds.
This England Championship match between Oxford United and West Bromwich Albion will be played on Oct 19, 2024 and kick off at 12:30. Check below for our tipsters best Oxford United vs West Bromwich Albion prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
