Preview:Barnsley vs Brighton & Hove Albion - prediction, team news, lineups

Barnsley will have an opportunity to test themselves against Premier League opposition when they take on Brighton & Hove Albion in the third round of the EFL Cup this Tuesday night.

The Tykes have not progressed past the third round of this competition since the 2009-10 season, while the Seagulls are looking to reach the fourth stage for the second successive campaign.

Match preview

With the small exception of an EFL Cup quarter-final run back in 1982, Barnsley are not in a position to boast about their history in this competition. In fact, the Tykes have tasted first-round elimination in four of their last seven seasons.

Newbie head coach Conor Hourihane is on a mission to change Barnsley’s unremarkable record in the competition, and he has certainly got off to a good start.

The Yorkshire outfit were able to beat Fleetwood Town and Rotherham United in their opening two rounds, earning themselves a shot at Premier League opposition.

Barnsley will head into Tuesday’s tasty encounter on the back of a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Blackpool in the league, which was the club’s second league of the season and also marked the second time in which they failed to score a goal.

Prior to that slip-up at the seaside, Barnsley were on a run of three straight wins across all competitions – all three of which came at Oakwell - and Hourihane and his men will now be looking to channel some of that Yorkshire magic when they host Brighton.

Speaking of the Seagulls, Fabian Hurzeler’s side have not made a particularly bright start to the campaign after accumulating just five points from their opening five top-flight matches.

Brighton’s sole victory in the Premier League this season came against Manchester City, though they backed up that memorable result with a defeat at Bournemouth and a 2-2 draw at home against Tottenham Hotspur.

The Seagulls turn their attention to cup duties this Tuesday as they look to reach the fourth round of the EFL Cup for the fifth time in six seasons.

Brighton have performed well in recent cup competitions, reaching a couple of FA Cup semi-finals back in 2019 and 2023, and they will be determined to make further progress away at Oakwell.

The two teams have not met since the 2016-17 Championship campaign, when the Seagulls managed a season double over their upcoming opponents – winning 2-0 both home and away.

Barnsley EFL Cup form:

W W

Barnsley form (all competitions):

W L W W W L

Brighton & Hove Albion EFL Cup form:

Brighton & Hove Albion form (all competitions):

D L W W L D

Team News

Barnsley head into Tuesday’s game without young prospect Georgie Gent, who is still recovering from his Achilles tendon injury which has sidelined him since March.

Fabio Jalo, who underwent knee surgery over the summer, is also recovering and will remain on the sidelines.

Defender Marc Roberts will need more time before marking his return from a groin injury; the defender has not played a competitive fixture since the opening weekend of the season.

Brighton remain without Adam Webster, who underwent knee surgery after suffering a ligament injury in training.

Solly March is also struggling with his knee and is not expected to return until December.

Jack Hinshelwood injured himself in a recent game against Bournemouth after standing on goalkeeper Evanilson’s hand; he will not return to action until November.

Maxim De Cuyper, on the other hand, could be available after recovering from his nasty collision with the advertising hoardings.

Barnsley possible starting lineup: Cooper; Ogbeta, Earl, Shepherd, Watson; Connell, Bland; McGoldrick, Phillips, Vickers; Keillor-Dunn

Brighton & Hove Albion possible starting lineup: Verbruggen; Veltman, Dunk, Van Hecke, Kadioglu; Ayari, Baleba; Mitoma, Gruda, Minteh; Rutter

We say: Barnsley 1-3 Brighton & Hove Albion

Barnsley not only boast a strong home record, but we are expecting the hosts to be buoyed by the chance to test themselves against Premier League opposition.

Brighton are not quite firing on all cylinders, but they are still expected to get the job done comfortably against their League One opponents. Barnsley to score but Brighton to win 3-1 is our prediction.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.