Having secured their first point of the campaign against Coventry City, Oxford United are aiming to build on that momentum in another stern clash with Leicester City.
Displays have been promising, and the loan acquisition of Will Lankshear from Tottenham Hotspur is looking like shrewd business, with the 20-year-old already netting a couple of goals in his opening month at the club.
After finding the net in that 2-2 draw with Coventry, Leicester will need to be cautious of his danger in front of goal, and if they can silence him, they’ll have an excellent chance to claim their fourth win of the Championship season.
Leicester, naturally, have made a strong return to Championship football under Marti Cifuentes and will travel to Oxford fully intent on continuing in that manner. However, the U’s have the capacity to cause problems if Lankshear maintains his blistering early-season scoring form.
Will Lankshear is making his mark in the Championship at Oxford United:
Lankshear was previously a casualty of the overcrowded striker department at West Bromwich Albion in the second half of last season.
The lively forward had arrived at the Hawthorns after already featuring a handful of times for Spurs that season, even getting on the scoresheet in the Europa League against Galatasaray. Still, he managed only four starts for the Baggies and ended the stint without a goal.
Now, he finds himself at Oxford, a team badly in need of a focal point in attack going into their second season in the second tier, after last year’s top scorer managed just six strikes.
Lankshear has been trusted from the outset in each of the Yellows’ opening four league fixtures, scoring against Hull City and most recently versus Coventry. He’s one of the key options in his role within the squad, and he’s justifying that faith while proving why his time at West Brom should quickly be left behind.
Keeping Will Lankshear quiet is crucial for a Leicester City triumph:
Lankshear and Cameron Brannagan remain the only two players to have found the net for the Yellows in league action this term.
So, while Oxford still have other attacking threats to trouble Marti Cifuentes’ side, keeping Lankshear under wraps will be central to securing three points and potentially another clean sheet for the Foxes at the Kassam Stadium on Saturday.
After a nervy couple of opening matches, Leicester have been resolute at the back in each of their shutout victories over Charlton Athletic and Birmingham, and that form is expected to carry into a match where they are favourites to prevail.
However, Oxford fashioned chances and impressed against Leicester’s Midlands rivals, Coventry, and could easily have snatched a point at Birmingham the previous week. If Gary Rowett’s men can stay competitive, backed by their home support, they might snatch a draw — or even more.
If the Yellows are going to manage that, you’d expect Lankshear to play a decisive role with a goal or two.