Preview: Barnsley vs AFC Wimbledon - prediction, team news, lineups

Both looking to bounce back from defeat last time out, Barnsley and AFC Wimbledon clash at Oakwell in League One on Saturday afternoon.

The Reds suffered a narrow defeat at the base of Bolton Wanderers, whilst the Dons lost out on home soil to Northampton Town.

Match preview

After finishing a mammoth 17 points behind the playoff spots during the 2024-25 campaign, Barnsley are heading towards another season of missing out on promotion ambitions.

The Reds have now won just one of their last four third-tier battles after a hard-fought 3-2 defeat at the base of Bolton last Saturday afternoon, when they were bested by the Wanderers.

Heading into the closing moments of the season, Barnsley are occupying 15th spot in the League One rankings, 12 points from the top-six positions at this stage.

The Yorkshire-based club suffered a major blow to their league hopes during the January transfer window, when leading marksman Davis Keillor-Dunn departed to Wrexham.

© Imago

After back-to-back League One wins to begin February on a positive note, AFC Wimbledon were unable to continue their good form in the knockout stages of the EFL Trophy.

Tuesday night saw the end of the Dons' progression in this year's competition, with two goals from Northampton on the road securing their spot in the last four of the tournament.

Despite this, there is a good feeling around Wimbledon at the moment after collecting six points from their last two league contests, leaving them 14th in the League One standings, six points above relegation.

Unlike Barnsley, Saturday afternoon's visitors kept hold of their leading attacker over the winter trading point, with Dons hero Marcus Browne netting 10 league goals so far in 2025-26.

Barnsley League One form: W D L W D L

AFC Wimbledon League One form: L L D L W W

AFC Wimbledon form (all competitions): L D L W W L

Team News

© Imago / News Images

Scoring off the bench at the home of Bolton last time out, midfielder Adam Phillips is likely to enter the XI for Barnsley.

There are also a number of other Reds stars pushing for spots in the starting side, including defender Nathanael Ogbeta.

Replaced after just 51 minutes of the EFL Trophy loss, Northampton's Joe Lewis is unlikely to start this weekend.

After sitting on the bench for the loss to the Cobblers, first-choice keeper Nathan Bishop will return in between the sticks.

Barnsley possible starting lineup:

Goodman; O'Keefe, Ogbeta, Shepherd, Watson; Banks, Phillips, Connell, Cleary; Bradshaw, McGoldrick

AFC Wimbledon possible starting lineup:

Bishop; Aslimwe, Ogundere, Bauer, Seddon, Nkeng; Maycock, Reeves, Hippolyte; Hackford, Browne

We say: Barnsley 1-0 AFC Wimbledon

Losing just four of their 13 home league matches so far, Barnsley will be confident of a positive result this weekend.

Tuesday's EFL Trophy loss may have knocked the wind out of Wimbledon's sails, so we are envisaging a tough Yorkshire afternoon for the Dons.

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