Oxford United boss Ian Atkins says if his injury-hit team can win at Cambridge today it will be their best achievement of the season - better even than winning at Charlton!

Cambridge, a potent attacking force in Division 3 with 26 goals, twice as many as Oxford, last week set a club record of scoring in 16 consecutive league games.

The U's are again set to be without at least three strikers, while fit-again Steve Basham could not be risked from the start because he hasn't played even a reserve team match since injuring a hamstring eight weeks ago.

With Lee Steele, Jamie Brooks and probably on-loan Gavin Gordon all sidelined, Atkins will have to rely on a new attacking duo of David Oldfield, who has yet to find the net for Oxford, and Jefferson Louis, who bagged his first league goal as a sub against Swansea.

However, the cartilage injury that Andy Scott has in his rib cage has been showing improvement, and he could be in the squad. If he feels fit enough to start, Louis would probably drop to the bench.

"We'll go to Cambridge and set our stall out, and if we could get three points, it would be our best result of the season, considering the number of players we've got out," said Atkins.

Adi Viveash is expected to bolster United's defence and a return to 5-3-2 looks likely, with Chris Hackett again one of the subs.

United's players have been benefitting this week from the excellent playing surface of their new training ground at Pressed Steel, where they moved three weeks ago.

"It's a magnificent surface and it's the same size as here at The Kassam Stadium, which is a help," said Atkins. "With the rain we've had this week, it's been great to have a pitch like that to play on."

Cambridge's dangerman is nine-goal David Kitson, who, like Louis, was plucked out of Ryman League Division 1 North, in his case, Arlesey Town.

Cambridge Utd: (probable) Marshall, Goodhind, Angus, Duncan, Jordan, Tudor, Fleming, Guttridge, Youngs, Riza, Kitson. Subs: Wanless, Bridges, Brennan, Chillingworth, Tann.

Oxford Utd: (from) Woodman, McNiven, Crosby, Viveash, Bound, Robinson, R Ford, Hunt, Savage, Oldfield, Scott, Louis, Hackett, Whitehead, Waterman, Goerdon, Hunter, Cox. Ricketts makes his debut against Telford in the Conference today.