Bolton Wanderers are seeking to make it seven games unbeaten in League One when they take on Oxford United.
The Whites travel to the Kassam Stadium to take on Karl Robinson's side who are sitting in the play-offs as things stand.
Bolton have won five out of their last six encounters and are one of the form teams in the division at present.
READ MORE: 'Put this right' - Oxford United striker sends teammates message ahead of Bolton Wanderers clash
The U's meanwhile are seeking to bounce back to winning ways following their loss to Accrington Stanley, with Wanderers capable of doing the double over them this season should they pick up three points at the Kassam Stadium.
Before the game, Wanderers boss Ian Evatt spoke to the press and here's what he had to tell broadcasters prior to the fixture.
Any unavailability or injuries?
“All good. George Johnston is back training today, he’s over his 24-hour sickness bug. Other than that we’re all good.”
Do you select players to beat the opposition in front of you or do you have to think that these who have been playing regularly have done okay?
“We have to look at the opposition and their strengths and weaknesses. We also look games in advance to think about which personnel will suit which game and which opposition.
"For instance, a home game against AFC Wimbledon will be a completely different game to Burton Albion away, so we’re looking at that.
"Obviously we’ve got huge amounts of options and it’s down to me to come up with a conundrum to get it right. That’s what I’m paid to do, but there will be changes on Saturday.”
When you were playing and new ones come to the club, is that difficult to deal with?
“Yeah. I think so, but they should embrace it as well. You should embrace competition. I remember being a player at Blackpool for eight years and they’d bring a new centre half in every summer, but I just saw it as good competition to make sure that I was playing ahead of them and that ended up happening so they have to have that determination.
“You should embrace competition. We are in a competition, a team sport which is made up of a individuals. Get out of your comfort zone, embrace it, work harder and make sure when you get your opportunity, you take it and that’s what the players have to do.
“The new ones have obviously made a huge difference. They’ve settled in really fast but there’s still lots of things that they need to improve on and time on the training ground is difficult at the moment because of how many games we’ve got, so it’s more visual learning for them, but we’re really happy with what we’ve got.
"Football very much now is not one to 11, that’s how it used to be, now it’s squad game and you have to utilise your squad and rotate as you see fit.”
You’ve got two pretty tough away games coming up?
“Very tough and very different. Completely different types of games, completely different settings. For Oxford, Karl’s an excellent manager and his teams are always attacking. We know what we’re coming up against and we need to make sure we play really well.
"Funnily enough when I watched the game back from Tuesday, we weren’t as bad as I thought we were on the night. We were actually a bit better than that and I thought we were a bit better than them.
"I thought vice versa immediately afterwards, but it’s interesting what you see when you watch it back with no emotions, so there’s still lots of things we can be better at and we can improve immensely from Tuesday and we will do.
“Oxford’s a big game. We’re trying to chase those clubs ahead of us down and they will feel if they beat us, they tick us off so it’s a big game.”
How has training be en? Any more work on those set plays that worked so well against Charlton?
“We have done a lot of work on set plays. They have huge importance because when you don’t play so well, they can end up winning you football matches and Tuesday ended up us winning a match from a set play, so long may that continue.”
What’s changed in 48 hours of your view of the Charlton game? What did you feel went right that you didn’t see the first time?
“I didn’t feel like we dominated the ball like we can do. I thought there was too many transitions. I didn’t feel like our press was as energetic all over the pitch as it has been and I thought it was a very even game. Having watched it back, we dominated the first half, we had very little and very little opportunities, and likewise second half really.
"It was only when we scored they had a bit of pressure towards the end, but other than that, I thought we managed them quite comfortably. Yes, we weren’t our energetic, expansive, attractive selves, but we found a way to win the game when we weren’t quite at our best which is a positive sign as well.”
With all these games that are still to come, do points take greater value over performances?
“For now, we’re just concentrating on the next game and that’s Oxford on Saturday.
"We want to hunt down the teams above us and we’re aware that there is quite a gap to those teams and then these types of occasions and games, we have to make sure that we gain points on the teams ahead of us, and that means by beating them predominantly.
"We’ve got most to play. We’ve got Portsmouth at home to play, Sheffield Wednesday at home to play, Plymouth at home to play. We’ve got our eye on what’s to come, but for now Oxford’s a very tough game. They’ve got a very good home record, score loads of goals, we’ve got to make sure we are full tilt and ready to go.”
Away from home this term compared to last season hasn’t on the whole been exceptional, so would you like to see more performances as dynamic as what we experienced against Cambridge United or Sunderland?
“I think we’ve had some poor performances away from home. I think the Plymouth and Fleetwood games spring to mind more than any, and it tends to be in those conditions and that was quite pleasing about Morecambe that we didn’t capitulate like we have done in the past.
"When we’ve lost these games 3-0, even the best teams like Sunderland have been beat six, five and four away from home this season, so it can happen to anybody.
“Some of our performances have been very good away from home and we’ve not had any points to show for it, like Sheffield Wednesday and Sunderland away as examples. We’ve got opportunities now to start picking up points away from home and if we want to get anywhere close to where we want to be, we have to start doing that right now.
"No time for waiting, we’ve got two big away games, Saturday-Tuesday coming up. The team will change between the two and we have to pick up points.”
Oxford United have remained pretty much in the top six from October - what do you put it down to?
“They’ve had continuity and and they’ve had a manager that’s had time and been able to build, so they’ve built a strong squad, a team that are dangerous and capable of scoring goals.
"Very attacking and you have to be calm enough to defend properly, but also calm enough to expose them in transition when they’re flooding forwards in numbers and that’s what we need to do on the day.
“We need to work hard and have good defensive structure and shape, but then make sure when we get our opportunities and we will get them, that we take them.”
