Oxford United v Bristol Rovers
Pre-season fixture, Kassam Stadium, Saturday 26 July, 3:00pm KO
Bristol Rovers will be hoping to conclude pre-season in style when they travel to Oxford United on Saturday in their final run-out before the start of the 2025/26 Sky Bet League Two season.
The Pirates are going into the game after a 2-0 loss to Coventry City. Frank Lampard’s side visited The Memorial Stadium on Wednesday night, with the Sky Blues netting twice in the second half.
Rovers have won three of their five matches in pre-season, beating Chippenham Town, Bath City and Yeovil Town and losing to Stockport County and Coventry.
Oxford United finished 17th in the Sky Bet Championship last season and defeated Mansfield Town 1-0 in their latest fixture. Striker Tom Bradshaw scored the only goal of the game to give The U’s the victory at The One Call Stadium.
Tickets...
Tickets are available on the day of the fixture at the general admission price. Click here to view the prices.
Travel...
Start by leaving the Memorial Stadium and heading onto Gloucester Road. From there, get on the M32 motorway, which leads you quickly to the M4 heading east. Stay on the M4 for about 50 miles, then take the exit at Junction 13 to join the A34 northbound toward Oxford.
Keep going on the A34 until you see signs for Oxford’s ring road. Take the exit at Hinksey Hill and join the Eastern Bypass (A4142). Follow that until you see signs for Cowley, then take the B480 toward Oxford Road. After a few minutes, turn left onto Grenoble Road—the Kassam Stadium will be on your right.
Opposition...
After spending several seasons in Sky Bet League One, Oxford earned promotion to the Sky Bet Championship for the 2024/25 season via the play-offs, defeating Bolton Wanderers 2–0 at Wembley. This marked a major milestone, as it was their first time back in the second tier since the late 1990s.
Under boss Gary Rowett, the U’s have become known for their strong defensive discipline but struggle to score goals. Their 17th-place finish last term saw their two joint top scorers finish on six goals for the campaign.
So far in the pre-season, Oxford have spent most of their time in Indonesia competing in the President’s Cup, where they reached the final against Port F.C. However, they were defeated 2-1 by the side from Bangkok.
Oxford have been active in the summer window so far, bringing in two new faces to bolster Rowett’s side. Brian De Keersmaecker, a 24-year-old Belgian midfielder, signed from Heracles Almelo and Brodie Spencer, a 21-year-old Northern Ireland international right-back, signed from Huddersfield Town. These additions will aid Oxford in their upcoming campaign in the Sky Bet Championship as they look to cement themselves as regulars in the division.
Previous meetings...
The most recent meeting between the two sides was on January 27, 2024. Rovers ran out 3-1 victors at The Memorial Stadium, with Chris Martin, Luke Thomas, and Harvey Vale all on the scoresheet.
Rovers finished 15th that campaign under Matt Taylor, and Oxford finished in fifth before defeating Bolton Wanderers 2-0 in the Play-off final to reach the Championship for the first time since the late 1990s.
