Preview: Barnsley vs Bromley - prediction, team news, lineups

The 2026-27 League One campaign gets underway this weekend, with Barnsley beginning their season at Oakwell against newly promoted Bromley, who are competing at this level for the first time in their history.

The hosts finished 15th in League One last season after a disappointing second half of the campaign left them just 10 points clear of the relegation zone, while Andy Woodman’s side earned promotion to the third tier after claiming the League Two by a single point.

Match preview

Barnsley begin their new season under new management following the dismissal of Irish boss Conor Hourihane, who was relieved of his duties after 66 games at the helm, securing just 21 wins since his appointment in March 2025.

It was the Reds' third season in League One following their relegation from the Championship during the 2021-22 campaign, with their 15th-placed finish their lowest since returning to the third tier after reaching the playoffs in each of the previous two seasons.

The poor end to the campaign was a particular low point, with Barnsley closing out the Hourihane reign with just two wins from their final 13 League One outings, leading to them finishing with the division's second-worst defensive record after conceding 73 goals and keeping a league-low four clean sheets.

The South Yorkshire side parted ways with the former Aston Villa midfielder and turned to Daniel Stendel, who previously led Barnsley for 66 games between June 2018 and October 2019 before being sacked following a run of 10 games without a win.

Stendel's return to Oakwell has seen plenty of movement in the squad, with a number of players arriving and departing during the summer, while the German boss has overseen six pre-season outings, with Barnsley tasting defeat just once against National League winners York City and securing wins over Matlock, Scarborough and Lincoln.

Saturday's League One opener will be the second game of Stendel's second tenure, after the Reds saw their EFL Cup run come to an end in the first round following a penalty-shootout defeat to Wigan Athletic last weekend.

As for Bromley, they arrive at Oakwell after securing promotion to the third tier of English football for the first time in their history by winning the League Two title last season, with Woodman's side assuring their place in the top three with two games to spare.

Two years ago, the Ravens won promotion from the National League to the fourth tier for the first time in their history after going up via the playoffs, and now, just a couple of seasons later, their promotion to League One has created more history for the London side.

The rise is even more remarkable given the fact that Bromley were playing in National League South as recently as 2015.

While they are away from home on Saturday, their performances at Hayes Lane could be vital to how their season plays out, with Woodman's side ending the 2025-26 league campaign unbeaten at home, securing 14 wins and nine draws from 23 outings.

The Ravens have had a mixed pre-season campaign as they prepare for their maiden League One season, beating Crystal Palace 3-0 but also suffering heavy defeats on multiple occasions, with a 7-0 thrashing at the hands of Queens Park Rangers a result they will be keen to forget.

Like their upcoming opponents, who they will face for the first time in their history, Bromley were in League Cup action last weekend and exited via a penalty shootout at the hands of Reading.

Barnsley form (all competitions):

Bromley form (all competitions):

Team News

Barnsley began the new season last weekend with a much-changed squad at the manager's disposal compared to last season.

With key forwards David McGoldrick and Adam Phillips no longer at the club, Barnsley will need Makenzie Kirk, who joined on loan from Portsmouth, and former Newcastle Jets winger Clayton Taylor to step up and fill the void in attack.

Cameron McGeehan, who played under Stendel during his first spell at the club, captained the side in midfield in the EFL Cup opener and is expected to do so again alongside Irishman Luca Connell.

Despite being linked with a move to Bristol City in recent days, Reyes Clearly was spotted in training ahead of the League One opener and is expected to start for Barnsley on Saturday, even if a transfer does materialise in the coming weeks.

Bromley, meanwhile, will be forced into changes from the starting XI that played against Reading last weekend.

Full-back Jacob Mendy and midfielder Ashley Charles were taken off within four minutes of each other because of injury and will be unavailable for Bromley's first-ever League One clash.

Mendy was replaced by new arrival Richard Taylor, who was then sent off for two bookable fouls and will also miss the trip to Oakwell, leaving Woodman with limited options at the back.

Barnsley possible starting lineup:

Ravenhill; Kay, Gale, Earl, Alker; McGeehan, Connell; Taylor, Kelly, Cleary, Kirk

Bromley possible starting lineup:

George; Ifill, Sowunmi, Grant, F. Taylor; McKiernan, Whitely, Conteh, Hondermarck, Archer; Cheek

We say: Barnsley 1-1 Bromley

With Barnsley under new management and Bromley preparing for their first ever League One campaign, both sides have plenty of uncertainty heading into the opening weekend, and we expect a closely fought contest at Oakwell.

With both sides suffering penalty-shootout exits in the EFL Cup last weekend, we expect their similar starts to the season to continue with the points being shared at Oakwell.

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