Oxford United welcome Wigan Athletic to the Kassam Stadium on Tuesday evening for their latest instalment of League One action in the 2026-27 campaign.

In their previous outing, the U’s were held to an entertaining 1-1 draw by Mansfield Town at the One Call Stadium, while the Latics ended their four-match winless streak in the league by beating Reading 1-0 on home soil.

Match preview

Following their agonising relegation from the Championship last season, losing three of their final four fixtures to finish four points from safety, Oxford will be hoping to bounce back to the second tier at the first time of asking after enjoying a promising start to their League One 2026-27 campaign.

Having lost just one of their eight league matches so far, winning four over that stretch, the U’s sit narrowly outside the playoff places on 15 points, but with games in hand on the vast majority of sides above them, it is extremely likely that their position will only improve in the coming weeks.

Despite making an imposing start to their league endeavours this season, Aaron Ramsey will be slightly underwhelmed with his side’s performances in the cup competitions though, with Oxford exiting the EFL Cup to Leyton Orient at the first hurdle and picking up just one point in their opening EFL Trophy bout against Exeter City.

After winning just two of their first 11 encounters with Wigan, the U’s posted a 4-2 victory when they last met the Latics in February 2024 and will be hoping to climb into the playoff places by replicating that result on Tuesday evening.

Although they hit form in the closing stages of the 2025-26 league campaign to steer clear of relegation, earning 18 points from their last 11 matches, Wigan look as though they could be set for a similar fight this time around after a difficult start to the season.

While they have managed to claim two wins so far, including a superb 1-0 win over a high-flying Reading side on Saturday afternoon, the Latics’ five defeats currently have them sat at the foot of the League One table and with each of their next three fixtures all coming away from home, their schedule certainly does not get any more forgiving.

Unlike Tuesday’s opposition, Wigan will be content with how they have performed in the cups though as despite falling to defeat on penalties against Barnsley in their opening EFL Cup bout, Gary Caldwell’s men have won each of their first two EFL Trophy fixtures to sit top of Group 2 and book their place in the knockout phase.

Having won eight of their prior 12 matches against Oxford, including a dramatic 3-2 triumph when they visited the Kassam Stadium in December 2021, the Latics will be hoping that they can lean on their strong record against the U’s to start a run of form this weekend and claim consecutive victories for the first time since April.

Oxford United League One form:

Oxford United form (all competitions):

Wigan Athletic League One form:

Wigan Athletic form (all competitions):

Team News

Having both received late red cards against Mansfield on Saturday afternoon, Oxford will be without Peter Kioso and 22-year-old forward Gatlin O’Donkor for Tuesday’s clash, while fellow attacker Aidomo Emakhu remains sidelined with a muscle injury.

Frankie Kent looks as though he has some way to go before returning to action from an ACL injury suffered during pre-season, while midfielder Jamie McDonnell is set for a significant period out too after picking up a hamstring issue a month ago.

The hosts’ injury list is rounded off with South Korean midfielder Jin-Woo Jeon and Dutch defender Ruben Roosken, who have both been absent since the start of the season with back problems.

After picking up his fifth yellow card of the campaign against Reading, Wigan will be without Maltese defender James Carragher on Tuesday night, while fellow centre-back Morgan Fox is expected to be out for a month with a calf issue.

The Latics are missing midfield duo Akeel Higgins and Ryan Trevitt as the pair continue to nurse hamstring injuries, while Luke Harris and Dara Costelloe are unavailable in attack too.

Netting in two of the visitors’ previous three outings, Caldwell will be hoping that Scott Hogan can deliver once again for Wigan on Tuesday evening and lift them out of the League One relegation zone with victory.

Oxford United possible starting lineup:

Cumming; Elliott-Wheeler, Helik, Brown, Currie; Brannagan, Sibley; Missanga, Andrews, Dembele; Harris

Wigan Athletic possible starting lineup:

Whitworth; Chiloka-Mulen, Burns, Harris, Mellish; Power, Gray; Murray, Weir, Walsh; Hogan

We say: Oxford United 3-1 Wigan Athletic

Boasting a strong record against Oxford, Wigan will be looking to triumph at the Kassam Stadium for the fifth time on Tuesday and more importantly move themselves away from the foot of the table.

However, having not lost any of their previous five matches, the U’s currently boast the title of the division’s form side and we think they are firm favourites to creep towards the top six this week.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.