Brentford vs Oxford United. The FA Cup Third Round.
Griffin ParkAttendance6,106.
Friday 4 January 2019 11:59, UK
Brentford could have defender Chris Mepham available again for the FA Cup third-round tie against Oxford.
Mepham has not featured since before Christmas because of an unspecified injury, but Bees boss Thomas Frank confirmed the Welshman was closing in on a return.
Midfielders Lewis Macleod (hamstring) and Emiliano Marcondes (ankle) continue their recoveries. The Bees have no fresh injury concerns, but Frank is expected to rotate the team for the tie against the Sky Bet League One club.
Oxford will have Northern Ireland Under-21 midfielder Mark Sykes and Jordan Graham available for the trip to Griffin Park.Sykes completed a permanent move from Glenavon, while winger Graham has joined the U's on loan from Premier League Wolves.
Midfielder Cameron Brannagan is suspended after collecting two yellow cards in earlier FA Cup ties. Right-back Tony McMahon has joined Scunthorpe United on loan until the end of the season.
This will be the first FA Cup meeting between Brentford and Oxford since January 1964, when Oxford won a fourth round replay 2-1.
Oxford won their last match of any kind against Brentford, winning 4-0 at Griffin Park in a League Cup first round match in August 2015.
Brentford have lost five of their last six FA Cup matches (W1), failing to score in the last four defeats.
Oxford have progressed to the fourth round on the last two occasions they've reached this stage, beating Premier League Swansea in 2015-16 and Championship Rotherham in 2016-17.
