United are unbeaten in their last four games, winning three on the bounce against Bradford, Coventry and Wycombe in the process and Keates is wary of the threat they will pose. However, the Walsall-born boss is looking to start off this crucial run of six games with a much-needed win against Karl Robinson’s men.
The Saddlers head into the match on the back of last weekend's defeat to Doncaster Rovers, a result which extended the Saddlers' losing run to four games, adding more pressure as the opportunities to climb out of the relegation zone begin to dwindle.
Speaking via the club's official website, Dean said; "We have got a difficult game against Oxford this weekend. They have had some good results recently. It shows you how tight the division is at the moment. A couple of decent results gets you up there. It gets you away from looking over your shoulder. These next six games are massive for us.
"The first one is Oxford and we are looking to get some points on the board this weekend. Oxford were below us a few weeks ago but they have kept going and had some decent results.
"They have scored a couple of late goals, 94th minute plus, and it’s just shows if you keep going you can pick up points. They have given us a platform to look at and we can use them as an example."