Oxford United could be without six players for Portsmouth Championship clash

Oxford United will wait to see if Elliot Moore is available for their trip to Pompey at the weekend after coming off with a knock.

The U's captain made way for Sam Long in the latter stages of the 2-2 draw with Luton Town on Tuesday. Moore had previously been sidelined two games with a knee problem he picked up at the end of August. Moore complained of a knee issue against the Hatters, and Des Buckingham made the decision to bring him off.

The 27-year-old has played in six of Oxford's eight league games this season, and is a key player for them. His departure from the game against Luton was precautionary, and now he will be given one more day of training to prove his fitness as Oxford make the trip down to the South Coast for the lunch time kick-off.

“He just felt his knee, and he obviously missed a couple of games earlier on,” said Buckingham to the Oxford Mail.

“We had Sam Long and for the first time in a long time, we had a substitute up our sleeve to be able to use. “It just made sense to get Sam on. You don’t want to take a risk in the last couple of minutes.

“We’ve seen how ruthless this league can be, so to have a fully fit Sam Long on the bench, it just made sense to replace him.”

Will Goodwin was fit enough to earn a place on the bench, despite not coming on, but Matt Phillips wasn’t. The former QPR and West Brom winger sat out of the trip to Kenilworth Road, and hasn't played the last five games.

Cameron Brannagan, Przemyslaw Placheta, Joe Bennett and Max Woltman are Oxford’s other injury concerns. Brannagan is out for the next weeks with a knee injury sustained against Stoke City.

Seven-time Poland international Placheta played the opening three games for Oxford, but hasn't played since the middle of August. Joe Bennett is unavailable for the rest of the year after suffering an injury at the end of August. He's been excluded from their 25-man squad, and won't be eligible to play until January. Former Liverpool midfielder Max Woltman is another player unavailable for selection.