Oxford United v Bristol Rovers injury news: Six sidelined ahead of League One clash

Bristol Rovers travel to the Kassam Stadium hoping to put an end to their wretched run of form against Oxford United.

Both sides are out of form and have lost six of their last seven matches with a draws against Ipswich Town and MK Dons for both, the only time they haven’t lost. It makes for an evenly poised match when the two meet at lunch-time on Saturday afternoon.

Joey Barton’s side have the slight edge on Oxford who are two points behind them and have played a game more than them. In the previous meeting between the two, it was John Marquis who settled the tie back in August.

Bristol Rovers injury news

Josh Grant is a long-term absentee and it was against Oxford United that he played last. Grant came on as a substitute and that proved to be the last time he’d play this season.

Lewis Gibson is likely to return to the squad this weekend with Barton hailing him as a ‘real leader’. The on-loan Everton centre-back has been out since January with a thigh problem.

Jordan Rossiter is likely to be out for the rest of the season with a knee problem. He suffered the injury in mid-December, and the Gas are working around the worst case scenario which is he will not play a part again this season.

Ryan Loft serves the final game of his suspension after his red card against Lincoln City whilst Sam Finley returns after missing the same amount of games. James Gibbons was charged twice for improper conduct by the FA but is yet to hear of what any potential punishment might be.

Out: Josh Grant, Jordan Rossiter, Ryan Loft.

Oxford United injury news

Billy Bodin will not feature against his former club this afternoon after being ruled out. Tyler Goodrham is in contention after a tight hamstring which ruled him out of last week’s match.

Alex Gorrin is a long term absentees for the hosts. Gorrin injured his knee in training in December and it is cruel on the forward who has suffered a spate of injuries. He last played in November, as a substitute against Port Vale.

Djavan Anderson could be out for a month after an injury to his hip flexor. He’s expected to be out from two weeks to four weeks. Sam Baldock however is hoping to put behind him a year of injury problems after making a return to action earlier this month.

Out: Billy Bodin, Alex Gorrin, Djavan Anderson.