Preview:Barnsley vs Rotherham United - prediction, team news, lineups

Rotherham United will make the short trip to Oakwell on Saturday to take on Barnsley in a South Yorkshire derby.

The hosts have dropped to 10th spot following a four-match winless run, while their visitors sit 18th thanks to back-to-back victories.

Match preview

Barnsley head into the weekend aiming to end a four-match winless run in League One and move back towards the top six.

Their first full season under the management of Conor Hourihane has been a mixed one thus far, as they won five of their first seven outings to sit on 16 points, only to add just two more to that tally in the four attempts since.

The Reds' latest league victory came at home to Reading in mid-September, and they would go on to suffer back-to-back defeats at the hands of Blackpool and Port Vale before being held to a 2-2 draw by Wycombe Wanderers.

A tough trip to high-flying Bradford City then followed last weekend, and Hourihane's men were at least able to leave with a creditable point from a 2-2 draw thanks to goals from Reyes Cleary and Patrick Kelly.

Now on the back of a 5-2 beating of Manchester United Under-21s in the EFL Trophy in midweek, courtesy of a David McGoldrick hat-trick and goals from Neil Farrugia and Jon Russell, Barnsley return to League One action in 10th spot with a six-point gap up to the playoffs, and they will hope to kickstart an improved run at the weekend to cement themselves at the right end of the division in the coming weeks.

They face a tricky test, though, as the visitors arrive with some renewed optimism on the back of three straight victories in all competitions.

Heading into their second consecutive League One campaign under the new permanent management of Matt Hamshaw, Rotherham United endured a tough start, picking up just eight points from their first 10 games courtesy of two victories alongside six defeats.

The Millers have shown signs of improvement since, though, firstly ending a four-match winless run with an EFL Trophy triumph over Oldham Athletic before returing to winning ways in the league by beating Northampton Town 2-1 thanks to goals from Joe Rafferty and Josh Benson.

Leyton Orient then visited the New York Stadium last Saturday, and Hamshaw's men again took all three points as Sam Nombe netted the only goal of the game around the hour mark.

Having now rebuilt a degree of momentum and climbed up to 18th spot and within three points of the top half, Rotherham United will hope to continue their rise on Saturday with a South Yorkshire derby win at Oakwell, where they lost 2-0 in the 2024-25 season.

Barnsley League One form:

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Rotherham United League One form:

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Team News

Barnsley will remain without defender Georgie Gent and attacker Fabio Jalo on Saturday due to ongoing injury issues.

Conor Hourihane rotated his squad heavily for their midweek EFL Trophy outing, and David McGoldrick and Neil Farrugia have claims to keep their spots in the attacking line from the start with the former netting a hat-trick and the latter also on the scoresheet.

Indeed, McGoldrick may line up in support of returning key forward Davis Keillor-Dunn, while Luca Connell and either Jon Russell or Jonathan Bland should come back into the midfield from the outset.

Matt Hamshaw should field a similar Rotherham United starting XI from last week's win over Leyton Orient, with Kion Etete, Tom Holmes, Marvin Kaleta, Lenny Agbaire and Joshua Kayode remaining confined to the treatment room.

They have welcomed several players back from injuries, though, with Sean Raggett back in contention at the back, while Sam Nombe could earn a first start up front since early August having marked his second substitute appearance following a layoff with the winning goal last time out.

He may partner Jordan Hugill up front, while Joe Rafferty, Zak Jules and Jamal Baptiste should line up in an unaltered back three.

Barnsley possible starting lineup:

Cooper; Watson, Shepherd, Earl, Ogbeta; Connell, Russell; Phillips, McGoldrick, Cleary; Keillor-Dunn

Rotherham United possible starting lineup:

Dawson; Rafferty, Jules, Baptiste; Martha, McWilliams, Spence, Gore, Powell; Hugill, Nombe