Championship side Oxford United will attempt to spring a surprise when they play host to Premier League outfit Brighton & Hove Albion in Wednesday's EFL Cup clash.
The two sides are looking to make it past the second round for the first time in six years, while the Seagulls are hoping to secure a seventh consecutive third-round appearance.
Match preview
Oxford have made an underwhelming start to Gary Rowett's first season in charge, having lost three of their four competitive matches this season (W1).
Their only victory took place in their EFL Cup first-round clash against Colchester United, which saw Tyler Goodrham score the decisive goal in a narrow 1-0 win at the Kassam Stadium.
Meanwhile, in the league, Oxford started their campaign with a 1-0 home defeat to Portsmouth, before they fell to away defeats against Hull City and Birmingham City.
Gary Rowett's side ultimately had no response to Paik Seung-ho's 40th-minute effort in Saturday's clash with Birmingham at St Andrew's, leaving them as one of two teams without a point in the Championship this season.
With that in mind, Oxford may be looking forward to the distraction of an EFL Cup tie, as well as their first meeting with Brighton since losing 4-2 in this competition in August 2016.
The hosts will have their work cut out to beat their Premier League opponents, especially as they have lost each of their four second-round ties, including a 1-0 loss to Coventry at this stage of the competition last term.
Matt O-Riley of Brighton & Hove Albion celebrates scoring in the Premier League against Fulham, on August 16, 2025
Meanwhile, Brighton are still waiting for their first win of the 2025-26 season after mustering just one point from their opening two Premier League matches.
The Seagulls looked set to take three points from their league opener against Fulham, before Rodrigo Muniz netted a 97th-minute equaliser to cancel out Matt O'Riley's effort.
They then had the honour of participating in the first competitive match at Everton's Hill Dickinson Stadium, although it ultimately proved to be an unsuccessful trip for Fabian Hurzeler's side.
After falling two goals behind, Brighton's disappointing afternoon was compounded when Danny Welbeck saw his 77th-minute penalty saved by Jordan Pickford.
As a result, the Seagulls are one of eight teams yet to win a Premier League game this term, while they are also sitting just inside the drop zone on goal difference at this early stage of the campaign.
The south coast side will surely have one eye on Sunday's tricky home clash against Manchester City, but first, they will look to avoid their first second-round exit in the EFL Cup since losing 1-0 to Southampton in August 2018.
Oxford United EFL Cup form:
W
Oxford United form (all competitions):
Brighton & Hove Albion form (all competitions):
Team News
Brighton & Hove Albion head coach Fabian Hurzeler on August 2, 2025
The hosts are still having to cope without the services of Ciaron Brown, Luke Harris and Ole Romeny due to injury.
Cagliari loanee Nik Prelec is closing in on a return to fitness, but it remains to be seen whether he will be fit to make his debut on Wednesday.
Summer addition Brian De Keersmaecker recovered from injury to make his Oxford bow at the weekend, while Przemyslaw Placheta is also available for selection following his return as a substitute in the defeat to Birmingham.
As for the visitors, Adam Webster is expected to miss the majority of the season with an anterior cruciate ligament injury, while Solly March is still a few weeks away from returning to full training.
Jack Hinshelwood could make his first start of the season after returning from injury to feature as a half-time substitute at the weekend.
The midfielder is likely to be one of a number of changes for the EFL Cup fixture, with summer additions Olivier Boscagli and Diego Coppola in line to make their debuts.
Oxford United possible starting lineup:
Cumming; Ter Avest, Helik, Moore, Currie; De Keersmaecker, Brannagan; Mills, Lankshear, Dembele; Harris
Brighton & Hove Albion possible starting lineup:
Steel; Veltman, Coppola, Boscagli, Kadioglu; Hinshelwood, Gomez; Gruda, O’Riley, Minteh; Welbeck
SM words green background
We say: Oxford United 1-3 Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton could make several changes for the EFL Cup clash, but the players who come into the side will be determined to take their opportunity to stake a claim to be in Hurzeler's first-choice XI.
With that in mind, we think the Seagulls will showcase their strength in depth to claim a relatively comfortable win over an Oxford side who will be short on confidence following three consecutive league defeats.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
ID:580030:1false2false3false: from db desktop :LenBod:collect8724:No Data Analysis info
Previews by email
Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!