United travel up to Altrincham tomorrow, hoping to exorcise the ghosts of their most recent disappointing home games, which saw them draw twice, having led in both matches.[@opponent]altrincham[/@opponent][@connection]altrincham[/@connection] Last season United won 3-0 at Moss Lane, during the season's closing stages. This season United are still in the settling-down process, but should be able to garner the three points if they play as well as they have on occasions recently. United's game plan seems to be better set up for away games, and we have seen that they excel at a counter-attacking game. United really do need to take points from lower-half opposition if they are going to mount a serious promotion campaign, and with Torquay and Stevenage being the early pace-setters, Oxford wouldn't want to allow them to get too far ahead.

Some of Jim Smith's selection problems have eased, with the news that both Eddie Hutchinson and Joel Ledgister are fit to rejoin the squad. Billy Turley won't be able to play, so Chris Tardif will start with youth-teamer Sam Worrell probably on the bench. Neither Phil Gilchrist nor Chris Willmott are fit enough yet to add their experience to the defence, while Gary Twigg remains sidelined, meaning that Paul Shaw will almost certainly start up front, alongside either Rob Duffy or Yemi Odubade. Michael Standing is the midfielder most likely to make way for Hutch, although he did his chances of further selection no harm with his performance against Exeter, prior to his surprising substitution. Ledgister will probably be on the bench.

Altrincham finished in the relegation places last season, but won a reprieve because of Boston United's naughtiness. That was their second successive escape from relegation, having been saved the previous season because of Scarborough's woes. They have started this season as though they are looking for a hat-trick of relegation finishes, having failed to pick up a single point at home, and they currently languish fourth from bottom. This is a game that Oxford ought to win, and Rage Online believes they might. We really, really believe it, and if we say it often enough maybe it will come true? Anyway, we're going to say a 2-0 win for United, and as both our last predictions were spot on (no, we don't believe it either), they may as well just award United the points now.