Oxford United have the chance to be giantkillers again after they were paired with high-flying Championship club Cardiff City in the Carling Cup.

Manager Chris Wilder hailed the first-round tie “a great draw”.

The U’s are scheduled to take on the Bluebirds, who have narrowly missed out on promotion to the Premier League in the past two seasons, at the Kassam Stadium on Tuesday, August 9.

Wilder said: “It’s a great draw for us and should be a real test for the players.

“It’s nice to be at home and play a top side such as Cardiff. They’re well supported and it should be a cracking atmosphere.”

And for the U’s, who stunned League One outfit Bristol Rovers 5-1 at the same stage of the competition last year, it’s an opportunity to make national headlines, as they did in the second round last season, when they lost only 1-0 at Premier League West Ham to an injury-time winner.

Cardiff, who lost out to Reading in last season’s play-off semi-finals, are the highest-placed team Oxford could have met – aside from those that were relegated from the Premier League – finishing fourth in the Championship.

However, they are in a state of flux.

They have been without a manager since parting company with Dave Jones on May 30 in the wake of their exit from the play-offs.

This week former England captain Alan Shearer held “unsuccessful talks” about taking over as their new boss.

While Cardiff boasted a potent attacking strike force last season of Jay Bothroyd, who struck 18 goals, Michael Chopra and Craig Bellamy, who was on loan from Manchester City, all three have now left the club.

Cardiff, who have not played at the Kassam Stadium, still hope to sign Bellamy on a permanent deal, although City want £4m.

The two clubs have met before in the League Cup. In August 1978, the U’s won both home and away legs 2-1 to progress to the second round.

The clubs’ last league meetings were in Division 2 in the 1999-2000 campaign. Cardiff won 3-2 at the Manor, and the game at Ninian Park finished 1-1, Matt Murphy scoring all three United goals in the two games.

Since then, the Bluebirds have moved to a new 26,000-capacity all-seater stadium within sight of their old ground.

One Oxford United player who used to be at Cardiff is Matt Green. The striker, who was loaned out to Cheltenham in the second half of last season, is on the transfer list.