Barry Quinn returns from suspension and Chris Willmott looks set to come back into the defence as Oxford United travel to Bristol Rovers tonight bidding for only their second win since Brian Talbot took over as manager.

Former Republic of Ireland international Quinn, who picked up a one-match ban after collecting a red card in the 2-0 defeat at Shrewsbury, is expected to slot back into central midfield.

That would enable Lee Mansell to revert to his normal right back position, although he filled in well for Quinn against Rushden.

But the intriguing question is what happens in central defence.

Willmott is now fit and Talbot could accommodate him by switching to three at the back - the same way of playing as Rovers boss Ian Atkins.

An alternative would be to stick with four at the back, but Leo Roget has made it hard for Talbot to drop him by performing well since he was recalled. The centre back is even the team's top scorer, with two goals.

Talbot said: "I didn't want to play Willmott on Saturday because he hadn't trained. But he trained on Sunday and trained on Monday."

Asked whether he felt United had missed Willmott, who has been absent for the last four games, the U's boss replied: "When anyone whose in your 1st XI is injured, you're going to miss him."

It's a big match for both clubs. The U's have won just one of their first seven league games and Rovers have yet to win at home, despite picking up two victories away.

Both managers are starting to come under pressure because of results.

Talbot says it will not be fair to judge his new-look team until they have played Barnet on October 1, by which time they will have played 12 games.

But the U's, currently 18th, keep throwing away points at home, and with four of their next five away, they probably need to win two of those four to be in Talbot's hoped-for top ten position by the start of October.

Atkins, who left Oxford in acrimonious circumstances after a fall-out with chairman Firoz Kassam, is not particularly popular with the fans at the Memorial Stadium.

They gave him the bird during the first half of Saturday's 0-0 draw with Lincoln.

Atkins may replace Jefferson Louis with another former U's striker, Richard Walker, in Rovers' starting line-up.

He said: "We're due a home win. We've been playing exceptionally well, we just haven't got the results.

"We can score for fun - a lot of our games have been 3-2 or 2-3. I know where we need strengthening.

"But there's not much money here. That's why I've got four players out on loan, to help reduce the wage bill."

United made an offer for Rovers' leading scorer Junior Agogo before the tranfser deadline, but it was rejected.

United lost 2-0 at the Memorial Stadium last season, with Agogo getting both goal.

TONIGHT'S SQUADS

Bristol Rovers: (from) Shearer, Hinton, Anderson, Elliott, Gibb, Hunt, Disley, Leary, Ryan, Agogo, Walker, Louis, Carruthers, Forrester, Lescott, Bass.

Oxford Utd: (from) Turley, Mansell, Roget, Ashton, Willmott, Robinson, Quinn, Hargreaves, Gray, Sabin, Campbell, Hackett, Davies, Basham, Stirling, Tardif, Bradbury, Hughes.