Boss Michael Appleton preparing Oxford for game of two halves in JPT final

Oxford manager Michael Appleton is preparing his side for some chess followed by a "ding-dong" game of football when they take on Barnsley at Wembley in Sunday's Johnstone's Paint Trophy final.

Neither side has ever won the Football League Trophy in their respective histories, and the stakes are raised further with the prospect of Sunday being the teams' first-ever cup meeting.

There is the difference in divisions to contend with for Oxford, who are currently in the automatic promotion spots in League Two, while Barnsley are just two points off the play-off places in League One.

However, Appleton's confidence is not without reason, given Oxford's route to the final that included wins over League One opposition Swindon, and then Millwall on aggregate in the Southern Area final.

He told the club website: "It will be a good game for the neutral, it will be a game where it might be a bit of a chess game at the start, seeing each other out, figuring each other out.

"Once it gets to the latter stages, if it's close, we could see a real ding-dong game of football with both sides counter-attacking each other.

"In terms of preparation and training, if you can try and keep it as normal as possible, on a regular basis, what you do for a normal away game, that's the way to do it.

"They (Barnsley) will be going into the final expecting to be favourites, thinking they're favourites. A League One side flying high, they'll want to win as much as we will."

Defenders Johnny Mullins (hip) and Joe Skarz (groin) may miss out for Oxford with the promotion push in mind, while midfielder John Lundstram serves the second of a three-match suspension and Ryan Taylor is also out with a groin injury.

Skipper Jake Wright is set to become the first U's player with two Wembley appearances, having turned out in the victorious 2010 Conference play-off final, and he said: "It would be the proudest moment of my career.

"There's not as much pressure on it as there was for the play-off but we are going there to win it and then looking to build on that for the last six league games afterwards."

Meanwhile, 18-year-old Barnsley defender James Bree has a fight on his hands for a Wembley role, having not played since March 1 due to hamstring trouble.

Bree returned to the Tykes squad as an unused substitute in a win over Port Vale and he told the club website: "After being out injured I was always worried about whether or not I could get back in the squad.

"Getting back in the team the week before Wembley was a good experience for me. With hamstrings it's always a bit dodgy, you never really know when it's fully right.

"But I'm feeling good at the moment, and with the ultimatum of Wembley I think I've been able to push on. It's feeling back to normal."

Barnsley strikers Sam Winnall (hip) and Marley Watkins (calf) face late fitness tests, while interim manager Paul Heckingbottom will have to make a choice for five out of his six loan players in Callum Connolly, Ashley Fletcher, Ivan Toney, Josh Brownhill, Harry Chapman, and Lloyd Isgrove.