Des Buckingham: Oxford boss tells his side to 'enjoy' test of facing Sunderland

Oxford United boss Karl Robinson has urged his players to "enjoy" the challenge of facing Sunderland in the Carabao Cup.

The Black Cats will travel to the Kassam Stadium on Tuesday night for the second round tie, and Robinson is expecting a tough test.

However, he is confident that his team can cause an upset if they play to their potential.

"It's a great opportunity for us to test ourselves against a team from a higher division," said Robinson.

"Sunderland are a big club with a lot of history, so it's going to be a special night for our players.

"We're going to have to be at our best to get a result, but I'm confident that we can do it if we play to our potential.

"We're going to have to be brave and take the game to Sunderland," he added.

"We can't just sit back and defend, we need to go out there and attack them.

"I'm sure the fans will be right behind us, and I'm hoping we can give them a night to remember."

Oxford will be without a number of key players for the game, including Marcus Browne, Cameron Brannagan, and Anthony Forde.

However, Robinson is confident that his squad has enough depth to cope with their absences.

"We've got a good squad and I'm confident that we can cope with the injuries," he said.

"We've got a lot of players who are capable of coming in and doing a job.

"We're not going to make any excuses, we're just going to go out there and give it our best shot."