Preview: Barnsley vs Bradford City - prediction, team news, lineups

Aiming to move within touching distance of guaranteeing a top-six place in the League One table, Bradford City will head to Oakwell to take on Barnsley on Saturday.

With four games remaining, the visitors lead the chasing pack in the playoff race by seven points, while their visitors remain 12th after a midweek draw with Port Vale.

Match preview

Barnsley return to Oakwell on Saturday aiming to bounce back to winning ways and carry an unbeaten streak into the end of the League One season.

They have experienced a mixed and somewhat disappointing term on the whole, now sat 12th with 55 points on the board from their 41 games, having won 14 and lost 14 of those.

After looking poised to charge towards the playoff spots in the final months of the term with games in hand, Conor Hourihane's side saw any top-six hopes fade away in six-game winless run between mid-March and early April, culminating in a 3-0 home defeat to Plymouth Argyle.

They would then bounce back in a South Yorkshire Derby away at Rotherham United last weekend, winning 3-1 thanks to Adam Phillips's opener and Tom Bradshaw's brace, before playing out a goalless draw away at Port Vale in midweek, ending a near-five-month wait for just a third clean sheet of a league campaign defined by defensive struggles.

With positives to take from their last two performances, and only leading 13th-placed Wigan Athletic on goal difference, Barnsley will hope to strengthen their bid for a top-half finish with a home victory on Saturday.

They face a tough test, though, as the visitors make the trip across Yorkshire with a slim chance of guaranteeing a playoff place.

After climbing from League Two last time around, Bradford City have laid a strong claim for a second consecutive promotion this term, currently sitting fourth having earned 71 points from their 42 games including a tally of 21 victories only topped by the top two.

While any top-two hopes faded away due to an underwhelming away record, the Bantams did prevail in their last game on the road to strengthen their top-six standing, visiting Wycombe Wanderers and making it six points from the Easter Weekend as Bobby Pointon and Aden Baldwin fired them to a comeback 2-1 win.

Stevenage then visited the University of Bradford Stadium last weekend, but Graham Alexander's side failed to make it three wins on the bounce in the run-in, falling to a 1-0 defeat as Dan Kemp scored the only goal on the hour mark for the visitors.

Still occupying fourth spot with a seven-point lead over seventh-placed Luton Town and four games remaining, Bradford City will bid to bounce back to winning ways on Saturday with a chance to guarantee a playoff place if results elsewhere go their way.

Barnsley League One form:

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Bradford City League One form:

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Team News

Barnsley are still without winger Tawanda Chirewa, while key attacker David McGoldrick will be subject to a late fitness test, having missed the last two games through a hamstring injury.

If he is not deemed fit to start, Bradshaw will again lead the line, with Reyes Cleary hoping to come back in in support after Patrick Kelly, Scott Banks and Adam Phillips were preferred against Port Vale in midweek.

Elsewhere, captain Luca Connell returned off the bench on Tuesday and may rejoin Vimal Yoganathan from the outset in midfield at the weekend, while Corey O'Keefe, Marc Roberts, Eoghan O'Connell and Josh Earl should line up in an unchanged back four after a rare clean sheet.

Bradford City will likely remain without defender Harrison Ashby, who missed last week's meeting with Stevenage through injury.

Bobby Pointon is a fresh doubt, having been forced off early in that game last time out, with George Lapslie, Kayden Jackson, Nick Powell and Paul Mullin all competing to come into the attack.

Elsewhere, Jenson Metcalfe should continue to join mainstay Max Power in the centre of their 3-4-3 setup.

Barnsley possible starting lineup:

Goodman; O'Keefe, Roberts, O'Connell, Earl; Yoganathan, Connell; Kelly, Phillips, Cleary; Bradshaw

Bradford City possible starting lineup:

Walker; Wright, Baldwin, Tilt; Neufville, Metcalfe, Power, Touray; Sarcevic, Humphrys, Jackson

We say: Barnsley 1-1 Bradford City

With Barnsley having shown signs of improvement in the last week, and Bradford City beginning to falter at the back end of a demanding season, particularly often on the road, we see the visitors having to wait to seal their top-six place and being held to a draw at Oakwell.

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