Latics play their final group match in the newly named and sponsored Papa John's Trophy as they take on Bradford City at Valley Parade (7:30pm KO).
Harry Kewell’s men go into the tie on the back of two wins on the bounce, overseeing Cheltenham Town in Sky Bet League Two action and Hampton and Richmond in the Emirates FA Cup.
Form Guide
Bradford also go into the game on the back of two successive wins. They beat Southend 3-0 in the league before a 7-0 triumph over Tonbridge in the cup at the weekend.
This comes after they had gone on a run of four games where they only picked up one point.
They have picked up 12 points in their opening 10 games which puts them four places and one point better off than Oldham.
The Bantams’ last six:
- Tonbridge 0-7 Bradford City
- Bradford City 3-0 Southend United
- Barrow 1-0 Bradford City
- Bolton Wanderers 1-0 Bradford City
- Bradford City 0-3 Newport County
- Bradford City 1-1 Walsall
Head-to-Head
The sides have met on 112 occasions; Latics have won 45, Bradford 34 and 33 have been draws.
The last time the sides met was at Boundary Park in February when Oldham ran out comfortable 3-0 winners. First-half goals from Zak Dearnley, Jonny Smith and Mohamed Maouche ensured three points against playoff hopefuls Bradford.
However, the last time they met at Valley Parade it was a very different story with the Bantams winning 3-0 in August 2019.
Latics have a good record against Bradford in recent years and have lost just one of the previous six meetings.
It’ll be a case of getting to know each other again with the teams meeting up in this competition, the Emirates FA Cup and league in the space of a month, making the Bantams one of Latics’ most played opponents.
Group So Far
Latics are the only side in the group to have guaranteed their place in the knockout stages of the competition, picking up maximum points from their opening two games.
Bradford and the other two sides in the group have all picked up two points from their two games meaning it is all to play for to secure the final qualification spot in Northern Group F.
Elsewhere in the group, Doncaster go up against the Wolves’ development squad.
Regardless of the results in this round, Oldham will top the group.
Team News
It is expected a number of changes will be made as a result of the advantageous position the club find themselves in with a game to spare, meaning some players may be rested and others introduced for vital minutes.
Carl Piergianni is completing the end of his self-isolation period, Zak Dearnley and Andrea Badan remain on the treatment table, whilst Harry Clarke is cup tied due to his involvement with Arsenal U21 before signing on-loan.
Jordan Barnett is suspended due to two bookings in the previous group games.
It is unlikely Conor McAleny will make a return from his injury after failing a late fitness test but maybe back in contention for the weekend.
It is also too soon to confirm whether Laurence Bilboe and Tom Hamer will be available after precautionary Covid-19 measures were taken at the weekend.
New signing Raphael Diarra is available for selection and may come straight into the team.
Watch Out For
Clayton Donaldson was on target last time out for Bradford.
Latics fans may remember Donaldson was on the score sheet the last time Oldham travelled to Valley Parade.
The 36 year-old joined Bradford City in June 2019 and arrived with an impressive pedigree in the Football League.
The journeyman forward boasts impressive goal scoring records with Crewe Alexandra, Brentford, Birmingham City.
Donaldson has also played for Hull City, Harrogate Town, Scarborough, Halifax Town, York City, Hibernian, Sheffield United and Bolton Wanderers.
He also has experience at international level, representing Jamaica 10 times, finding the back of the net two times.
A Foot In Both Camps
Current Barrow midfielder Chris Taylor has played for both Latics and Bradford.
The Oldham-born midfielder began his football career at Boundary Park and made over 250 appearances for the club in his first spell between 2005 and 2012 before leaving for Millwall.
Taylor would return to Oldham as a loanee in 2017 after enjoying spells with Blackburn Rovers and Bolton Wanderers.
The 33-year old signed for Bradford in 2019 following a season spent with Blackpool. He spent just one season at Valley Parade and made 15 appearances for the club in all competitions.
In The Dugout
In the dugout for the hosts is Stuart McCall.
McCall is currently in his third permanent spell at Valley Parade and has also had a stint as caretaker manager with the club.
The 56 year-old spent the majority of his playing career with Bradford City two across two separate spells.
In addition, his playing career also saw him turn out for Everton, Rangers and Sheffield United as well as representing Scotland 40 times.
McCall has also taken charge of Motherwell, Rangers and Scunthorpe United in his managerial career.
Match Officials
The referee for the game will be Scott Oldham.
Officiating nine games this season predominantly in League One, he has give out 16 yellow cards.
His last game involving Latics was the 2-1 win at Cambridge at the start of last season where he handed out four bookings.
He will be assisted by Robert Atkin and Richard Wigglesworth with the fourth official being Peter Gooch.
Ahead of kick-off both team captains will lay a wreath in the centre circle, before observing a minute's silence - after the Last Post is performed in respect of the upcoming Remembrance Day.
Throughout the course of the game, players and match officials will carry the poppy. This means Latics will be back in the blue and tangerine home kit like Sunday.
Sky Bet Odds
The Bantams are 5/4 favourites for the EFL Trophy clash and Latics are priced at 17/10 to maintain their 100% record in this season’s competition.
It is 23/10 to be all level after 90 minutes.
Please gamble responsibly, for more information visit: www.begambleaware.org
How To Follow The Game
Because the game is classed as behind-closed-doors, supporters can tune into a live match stream with commentary available for all subscribers on iFollow Latics, as Roy Butterworth and Michael Brown talk you through the action.
Supporters can also create an account by clicking here, scrolling down to 'Match Passes' and paying the £10 fee to access the stream.
Alternatively, fans can also follow the game with live updates on the club's official Twitter account: @OfficialOAFC.