SIMON Eastwood is looking forward to facing his former side tonight but believes Oxford United should have nothing to fear against Blackburn Rovers.

It is the first time the goalkeeper has come up against the Lancashire club, where he spent three seasons before joining the U’s in 2016.

Eastwood fully expects their stay in Sky Bet League One to be brief, but United’s undefeated home record against sides in the top-half gives him cause for optimism tonight.

He said: “It’s a special one for me.

“This was one of the fixtures I definitely looked for when they came out.

“They’re doing really well and have picked up after a sticky start.

“Everybody was shocked, including myself, when they got relegated, but I believe they will bounce straight back up.

“(But) we’ve done quite well against the better teams this season at home, we’ve held our own.”

Eastwood has thrived as United’s No 1 stopper, a far cry from his role at Rovers, where he only made 20 appearances.

But there is no sense of having a point to prove this evening.

He said: “I wanted to play games but I always felt part of the team because I knew I was playing in the cups.

“Some of them were very big games. I look back and I enjoyed my time there.”

United would move above Tony Mowbray’s side and into the play-off positions with a win tonight.

Their spirits were lifted by Saturday’s 4-0 win at Plymouth Argyle, where Aaron Martin made his first league start for 15 months.

The centre back is all set to keep his place and is relishing the prospect of taking on one of the division’s most fancied names.

He said: “Everybody likes playing against big clubs.

“It’s a nice opportunity to play a good side coming off Saturday’s game, so I’m looking forward to it.

“Being a footballer you always love a challenge and push yourself to play against the best.

“When you come up against teams like this it’s the ideal opportunity.”

He added: “I’ve kept myself really fit and I’ve done as much as I can to make sure I’m ready.

“My body feels good and I just need to keep going now.”