Latics continue their packed Sky Bet League Two fixture schedule with a trip to Roots Hall this evening (7pm KO).
Last time out, Latics fell to a disappointing 2-1 defeat at home to Port Vale but have picked up four points in their last two league games on the road.
Zak Dearnley has scored three in his last three games and will be hoping to carry on his impressive run of form in this crucial encounter which will help both club's outlook whoever can claim the win.
Form Guide
Southend have had a miserable start to the season and are still without a win in any competition.
The Shrimpers have picked up two points in their opening eight league matches which is three less than Latics have picked up in as many matches.
They have not fared any better in other competitions in the early stages of the season and have been knocked out of both the EFL Trophy and the Carabao Cup at the first hurdle.
The Shrimpers’ last six:
- Tranmere Rovers 1-0 Southend United
- Salford City 3-0 Southend United
- Southend United 0-2 Cheltenham Town
- Southend United 2-2 Exeter City
- Southend United 0-3 Portsmouth (EFL Trophy)
- Crawley Town 1-1 Southend United
Head-to-Head
Latics have won 12 of the 39 previous meetings between the clubs, the hosts have won 17 of them and 10 have ended level.
Southend have won the last four times the clubs have met with Latics failing to find the net on all four occasions.
The last time Oldham got the better of the Blues was in April 2016 when Curtis Main’s goal in the 66th minute wrapped up the points at Roots Hall.
Watch Out For
Kazaiah Sterling is at Southend on loan from Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur.
The 21 year-old has made two appearances for his parent club which includes coming on as a substitute in a 3-0 win over APOEL Nicosia in the UEFA Champions League.
The forward has had loan spells with other league sides such as Sunderland, where he scored his first goal in senior football.
Sterling has also turned out for England at both Under 17 and Under 18 level.
Familiar Faces
Southend defender/midfielder Timothée Dieng used to play for Latics as well as their current number one, Mark Oxley.
Dieng played 68 times for Oldham over two seasons at Boundary Park.
The 28 year-old began his career with French side Brest and played seven times for the club before moving joining Latics.
He scored once in his time with Latics before moving on to Bradford City where he enjoyed two seasons before moving on again to Southend United.
This is Dieng’s third season with the Shrimpers and he has played 81 times for the club, scoring six goals in that time.
Whilst Oxley joined Latics on loan for the 2013/14 season from Hull. It was his fifth spell away from his parent club at the time and featured 43 times in all competitions during that campaign.
He has also featured heavily for Scottish side Hibernian before joining Southend in 2016 where the 30 year-old has made well over 100 appearances to date.
In The Dugout
Mark Molesley is the man in the dugout for the hosts.
The 39 year-old was appointed manager at Roots Hall in August 2020 and it is his first role as manager in the Football League.
His previous experience of management comes in non-league with Weymouth as well as spells within the youth setup at Bournemouth.
Stadium
Southend United play at Roots Hall.
It was opened back in 1955 and has a capacity of 12,392.
Last time Latics travelled to Roots Hall was in December 2017 when they fell to a 2-0 defeat.
Match Officials
The referee this evening is Christopher Sarginson.
He has officiated seven games this season already and has handed out 19 yellows and a single red card.
His last Latics game was at the end of April 2019 in the one-nil defeat at Exeter. Six yellows were given out in that fixture.
He will be assisted by Gregory Read and Adrian Tranter with David Rock being the fourth official.
Sky Bet Odds
Latics have been made favourites for their trip to Essex at 23/20 whilst the Blues are 21/10 to pick up their first win of the season.
None of the last seven meetings between the clubs have ended in a draw but 12/5 is the price for the game to end level.
Zak Dearnley is 15/8 to score anytime to keep up his impressive run of form.
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.
This match is available as a live stream for the fee of £10.
Alternatively, supporters can also follow the game with live updates on the club's official Twitter account: @OfficialOAFC.