Major events
Sergey Nirenberg emails about Yove Said: “Spells are playing tricks on us. Meaning of SaDE (H). area in Hebrew. This name was among many famous people in Israel’s history.”
Is this nominative determinism?
Carl Robinson: “I think when the draw was made I said I wanted a team that captured the community.
“We want to dominate possession but I’m not sure we’ll be able to do that tonight. We won’t compromise, we want to be the best version of ourselves.
“When you play in these games you want to play against the best players.”
How many people are watching from the roof of the car?
The Guardian’s Karen Carney is in the studio. I’m not sure if his next column will be about Oxford.
“Can you comment on whether Oxford’s option is a smooth operator?” Peter Oh asks.
With a first name like Yove, I think they’re as smooth as they come.
“Burgers and fries? I thought you guys insisted on calling them ‘chips’. What gives?” asks Joe Pearson. (Peter Oh originally sent the same email but seconds later).
A large American following at Oxford.
Get in the mood for the game with Nick Eames’ chat with Steve Perryman. I personally would have interviewed Ray Hutton, but to each their own.
That’s pretty strong Arsenal the team There is no shortage of regular starters in the squad and plenty of ammunition on the bench.
Starting lineups
Oxford United: McGinty, Anderson, Moore, Long, Brown, McGuane, Bate, Brannagan, Bodin, Taylor, Murphy
Members: Eastwood, Fleming, Findlay, Johnson, Goodrham, Negru, Wildschut, Sade, O’Donkor
Arsenal: Turner, Tomiyasu, Holding, Gabriel, Tierney, Elneny, Lokonga, Vieira, Saka, Martinelli, Nketiah
Members: Hayne, Seto, Zinchenko, Party, Odegaard, Smith Rowe, Marquinhos, Butler-Oyedeji
hi
There are already some shocks in the third round. League Two Stevenage knocked out Aston Villa, while League One Sheffield Wednesday sent Newcastle packing, not to mention Wrexham downing Coventry.
Tonight we have another chance to be upset. Oxford is hosting the best team in the country, Arsenal. A win for Karl Robinson’s side would be the biggest turn up for the books in this year’s competition, thanks mainly to how well Mikel Arteta’s side have been doing.
Oxford are set for a season of mid-table mediocrity. They currently sit 15th in the third tier but they will be supported by the majority of the three-a-side Kassam Stadium, with some stragglers on top of vans in the car park expected to catch a glimpse of the Premier League leaders in town. .
The good news for Oxford is that Arsenal will make some changes to give some fringe players a chance to show what they can do in a pressure environment. Some may not like the cold nights in Oxford and their lesser opponents may catch on. Some, however, will be desperate to prove they are good enough to play regularly in the Premier League and that should worry Oxford.
Let’s hope for crackers.
Kick-off: 8pm GMT.
