Wycombe Wanderers will make the short trip across the M40 motorway to take on an Oxford United side that are flying under Liam Manning.

The Yellows currently sit second in the League One table with nine wins from their 13 matches this season, whilst the Chairboys are just outside the play-off places in 10th.

No love has been lost in recent meetings between the two, with fan disturbances, red cards, and of course a League One play-off final clash.

So who will come out on top in this Thames Valley battle?

Lowdown on Wanderers

Wycombe’s 4-2 home loss against Bolton Wanderers on October 24 could be seen as a reality check after a brilliant few results.

Prior to the defeat, the Chairboys had been struggling Fleetwood Town and Carlisle United in the league with relative ease, as well as progressing into the second round of the Football League Trophy for the first time since the 2016/17 season.

Last weekend’s 2-2 draw against Peterborough United was a fair reflection of the contest, in which Matt Bloomfield’s side left the East feeling unlucky not to take all three points.

But versus Bolton, Wycombe never turned up for the first-half and were caught out on numerous occasions as they found themselves 2-0 down before the break.

They pulled it back level in the final 10 minutes before lapses in concentration saw them concede two more times in the final stages of the contest.

They will be hoping to improve on that against one of the best sides in the league.

Lowdown on Oxford

Liam Manning has completely re-energised Oxford following his arrival in March.

The club looked destined for relegation after a run of seven defeats in eight games at the start of the year, but after the ex-MK man secured seven points from the final 15 available, they avoided a drop back into League Two.

This season has been the complete opposite with United starting the campaign like a house on fire.

Nine wins from 11 has seen them go from relegation favourites to promotion contenders, and whilst they are winless in their last two, Oxford will try and rectify that with a Derby Day showing over Wycombe.

Overall record

Games: 33

Wycombe wins: 14

Draws: Nine

Oxford wins: 10

Last Five Meetings

2022/23: Wycombe Wanderers 2-0 Oxford United (League One)

2022/23: Oxford United 0-1 Wycombe Wanderers (League One)

2021/22: Wycombe Wanderers 2-0 Oxford United (League One)

2021/22: Oxford United 0-0 Wycombe Wanderers (League One)

2019/20: Oxford United 1-2 Wycombe Wanderers (League One play-off final)

Miscellaneous

  • Josh Scowen will miss the trip to Oxford after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season against Bolton
  • The referee for the derby is Seb Stockbridge
  • He has taken charge of seven Wycombe games in his career, with Wanderers winning on four occasions, losing three
  • His last Chairboys match was against Doncaster in October 2021, which Wycombe won 2-0
  • The assistant referees are Michael Webb and Simon Shaw, whilst Steven Plane is the fourth official
  • Wycombe are unbeaten in their last five against Oxford, in which they have kept four consecutive clean sheets