Preview: Oxford United vs Sunderland - prediction, team news, lineups

Premier League outfit Sunderland will travel to the Kassam Stadium for Sunday's FA Cup fourth-round clash against Oxford United.

The U's required penalties to beat MK Dons in the third round, while the Black Cats prevailed in a shootout against fellow top-flight side Everton.

Match preview

Oxford face Sunderland at a time when they are concerned about their Championship status, with the U's languishing in 23rd spot and four points adrift of safety with 16 games left to play.

Matt Bloomfield has struggled to make a positive impact since taking over the reins in January, having seen his first seven games as Oxford boss produce one win, three draws and three defeats.

In fact, all three of those defeats have taken place in the last four matches, including a heavy 3-0 loss in Tuesday's home clash with Norwich City.

Prior to Bloomfield's arrival, Oxford came through a nervy FA Cup tie against League Two MK Dons, which saw them prevail 4-3 on penalties following a 1-1 draw at Stadium MK.

They are now aiming to reach the fifth round for just the second time in the 21st century, sensing that a win over a Premier League side could be just what they need to spark an upturn in fortunes in their Championship campaign.

However, their hopes of eliminating Regis Le Bris's charges will be tempered by the fact that they have failed to progress from eight of their last nine FA Cup ties against Premier League opposition.

Sunderland head into the cup fixture as the 11th-placed team in the Premier League, having won nine, drawn nine and lost eight of their 26 league matches this term.

While the Black Cats will be satisfied with their mid-table position, they will be slightly frustrated with the fact that they have won just two of their previous 10 Premier League outings (D4, L4).

In fact, they have suffered back-to-back defeats against difficult opposition since they thrashed fellow promoted side Burnley 3-0 earlier this month.

After slumping to a 3-0 loss away to leaders Arsenal, Le Bris's side fell to a narrow 1-0 defeat in Wednesday's meeting with reigning champions Liverpool at the Stadium of Light, bringing an end to their impressive unbeaten home league record.

In contrast to those matches, Sunderland will head into Sunday's cup tie as the favourites despite losing 2-0 on their most recent trip to the Kassam Stadium in April 2025.

The Black Cats will need to prevail in a fourth-round tie for the first time in 11 years if they are to keep their dreams alive of winning the competition for the first time since 1973.

Oxford United FA Cup form:

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Sunderland FA Cup form:

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Team News

Oxford left-back Jack Currie and forward Jamie Donley could return from injury in time for Sunday's fixture.

Will Lankshear will also be available for selection after missing the heavy defeat to Norwich through suspension.

However, they are without the injured Brian De Keersmaecker, while Ruben Rooksen, Yunus Konak and Aidomo Emakhu are all cup-tied.

Meanwhile, Sunderland remains without captain Granit Xhaka and attacker Bertrand Traore remain sidelined with ankle and knee issues, respectively.

Winter addition Jocelin Ta Bi could feature in a Sunderland squad for the first time after recovering from an ankle issue.

Le Bris has also revealed that defender Omar Alderete will be rested this weekend, giving him time to recover from a foot problem that has troubled him in the past two weeks.

Oxford United possible starting lineup:

Ingram; Long, Helik, Davies, Brown; Vaulks, Brannagan; Mills, Peart-Harris, Placheta; Lankshear

Sunderland possible starting lineup:

Roefs; Geertruida, Ballard, O'Nien, Cirkin; Sadiki, Diarra; Talbi, Le Fee, Mundle; Mayenda

We say: Oxford United 0-2 Sunderland

While Le Bris is set to make changes to his lineup, his team will still possess a signicant amount of quality all over the pitch, and we believe the visitors will claim a comfortable victory against an Oxford side low on confidence following a poor run of form.

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