Relegation-threatened Barnsley welcome promotion-chasing Queens Park Rangers to Oakwell on Saturday, with the hosts currently sitting bottom of the Championship, eight points from safety.
QPR have one eye on the league's top two, sitting just three points behind Bournemouth, while their spot in the playoff positions is relatively secure as they are six points clear of seventh spot.
Match preview
© Reuters
Poya Asbaghi's side are on a dire run of form, currently winless in their last 13 Championship fixtures, having also not picked up a single point in the league since December 17.
After Carlton Morris equalised for the Tykes against Luton Town last time out on Tuesday, Barnsley were unable to go on to fully turn that game around, with Elijah Adebayo's second-half penalty sending the 24th-placed team to a 2-1 defeat.
A positive to take from that loss was that the visitors managed to find the back of the net through Morris, having not scored a goal in their previous four matches across all competitions.
If Asbaghi's side are to avoid the drop this season, they are likely to have to rely on their home form, having collected 10 of their 14 points during this campaign at Oakwell.
Barnsley have not got the worst defensive record in the division, but scoring goals has been a major problem for the Tykes, who have only netted 18 times in 29 games.
© Reuters
QPR, on the other hand, have had no such issue in the final third, scoring 46 goals in their 29 outings, and they needed to be clinical in front of goal last time out to secure a 2-2 draw against Middlesbrough.
Mark Warburton's side would have perhaps come away from the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium disappointed that they did not take all three points on Wednesday evening, having taken the lead and been pegged back twice.
The Hoops are unbeaten in their last seven Championship outings, form which will see them finish in the top six this season, but Warburton will not want his side to miss out on an automatic spot, with the team still in a strong position to climb into second place.
One of the key reasons QPR are having a successful season so far is that they have managed to translate good home form into collecting points on their travels also, suggesting that they will be confident on Saturday.
These two sides played out a 2-2 draw in the reverse fixture in August, when Barnsley surrendered a 2-0 lead by allowing Ilias Chair and Charlie Austin to strike late on and rescue a point for the R's.
- L
- L
- L
- L
- L
- L
- L
- L
- L
- L
- L
- L
- W
- W
- W
- D
- W
- D
- W
- W
- D
- W
- L
- D
Team News
© Reuters
Barnsley winger Clarke Oduor and attacking midfielder Victor Adeboyejo will continue to be absent from Abaghi's squad due to injuries, but the attacking duo are expected to return later this month.
Striker Morris came back into the starting lineup last time out and the 26-year-old is expected to retain his place in the side, potentially leading the line alongside Devante Cole.
The home team could operate in a 3-5-2 formation, with Liam Kitching, Michal Helik and Mads Andersen making up the defensive three in front of goalkeeper Bradley Collins, who has managed four clean sheets this season.
QPR goalkeeper Jordan Archer will remain sidelined, with David Marshall certain to play behind a back three consisting of Yoann Barbet, Robert Dickie and Jimmy Dunne.
Sam McCallum, who is on loan from Norwich City, has not featured for Warburton's side since October, and he will continue to be absent due to a hamstring injury.
The visitors are gifted with a bundle of attacking options, with Lyndon Dykes expected to retain his place as the lone striker, while Chair and Chris Willock will operate slightly behind the number nine.
Barnsley possible starting lineup:
Collins; Kitching, Helik, Andersen; Vita, Quina, Gomes, Benson, Styles; Morris, Cole
Queens Park Rangers possible starting lineup:
Marshall; Barbet, Dunne, Dickie; Wallace, Field, Johansen, Adomah; Willock, Chair; Dykes
We say: Barnsley 0-2 Queens Park Rangers
QPR are strong favourites for the three points in this encounter, taking into consideration their league position and better form than Barnsley, and the visitors should have no problems around finding the back of the net this weekend.
With the Hoops in free-flowing form in front of goal, it is likely that Barnsley will struggle to get a foothold in the match to cause their guests any issues defensively.
Top tip
Sammy Wynne
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Queens Park Rangers win with a probability of 42.67%. A win for Barnsley had a probability of 30.04% and a draw had a probability of 27.3%.
The most likely scoreline for a Queens Park Rangers win was 0-1 with a probability of 11.98%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (8.61%) and 0-2 (8.01%). The likeliest Barnsley win was 1-0 (9.64%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.88%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with a 9.6% likelihood.
