Bristol Rovers vs Oxford United Predictions

• Oxford are on a 6-match unbeaten run.
• The U’s 0-0 draw at Ipswich on Saturday was their first away clean sheet in League One this season.
• Bristol Rovers’ 24 goals conceded is amongst the worst records in League Two, and Joey Barton may rotate his squad, given their busy schedule.

Oxford up for the Cup

Karl Robinson’s Oxford may still be wondering how they came to require an FA Cup first round replay, after hitting the woodwork three times before conceding an 87^th-minute penalty at home to Joey Barton’s Bristol Rovers almost a fortnight ago.

The U’s are chasing a third consecutive top 6 finish in the third tier, and are unbeaten in 6 since going down 2-1 to league leaders Plymouth Argyle. Although a difficult trip to second-placed Wigan is next up, Robinson appears to be taking the FA Cup relatively seriously; he made just 3 changes for the original tie, and spoke of the importance of winning this replay in the immediate aftermath of that 2-2 draw.

Barton Looking to Preserve Record

Bristol Rovers enjoyed a huge win over Northampton on Saturday despite being reduced to ten men. Barton’s team have been inconsistent this season, sitting 14^th in League Two, while their recent cup outings have seen them lose 5-3 at Exeter and snatch a largely undeserved draw to force this replay.

Barton will be looking to preserve one intriguing record on Tuesday; he has never lost to Karl Robinson as a manager. But the Rovers boss, facing several injury concerns, has talked about the need to ‘manage’ his squad through a busy period.

With Oxford possessing superior quality and Robinson placing greater emphasis on the cup, I’m backing the away side to reach the second round, and a 2-1 Oxford victory seems a strong correct score prediction.