Preview:Doncaster Rovers vs Barnsley - prediction, team news, lineups

Barnsley will make the short trip to the Eco-Power Stadium on Saturday to take on Doncaster Rovers in a South Yorkshire Derby.

The two sides are only separated on goal difference in the middle of the League One table in the midst of winless runs.

Match preview

Doncaster Rovers head into the weekend aiming to end a seven-match winless run in League One dating back to early September.

After winning promotion and the League Two title last time around, they enjoyed a strong start to life back in England's third tier, winning five of their first seven games and amassing 16 points.

They have failed to carry that form on since, though, adding just two more points to that tally in seven further attempts, scoring just four goals and conceding 14 in those games.

On the back of consecutive losses to Leyton Orient and Northampton Town in mid-October, the Rovers' last league outing came away at Reading, and Grant McCann's men were at least able to leave with a point from a 1-1 draw having initially gone ahead on the hour mark through Billy Sharp.

Now, at least, on the back of a 2-1 away FA Cup win over fourth-tier Crewe Alexandra last weekend thanks to goals from Sharp and Owen Bailey, Doncaster Rovers find themselves 13th in League One and will bid to return to the top half with a sixth league win of the campaign.

Their visitors make the trip for Saturday's derby in a similar position, having dropped into mid-table in the midst of a five-match winless streak in England's third tier.

Following the permanent appointment of Conor Hourihane over the summer, Barnsley put themselves at the top end of the League One table in the early stages of the term, also earning 16 points from their first seven attempts courtesy of five victories and a single defeat.

The Reds have since dropped away from the playoff spots, though, earning just two more points from their last five games, with those coming from back-to-back 2-2 draws against Bradford City and Wycombe Wanderers.

Hourihane's men then hosted fellow South Yorkshire rivals Rotherham United and suffered a 1-0 defeat, before also managing an FA Cup victory last weekend, hosting fifth-tier York City and winning 3-2 thanks to Davis Keillor-Dunn's brace and Marc Roberts's 90th-minute winner.

Now sitting 11th with cause for concern around their recent results, and trailing the top six by seven points, albeit with games in hand on most sides in the division, Barnsley will be keen to return to winning ways in League One on Saturday.

Doncaster Rovers League One form:

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Doncaster Rovers form (all competitions):

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Barnsley League One form:

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Barnsley form (all competitions):

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Team News

Doncaster Rovers should head into the weekend with a clean bill of health and could be unchanged from a full-strength starting XI for last week's FA Cup win.

Billy Sharp will continue to lead the line, having scored in consecutive games to move onto four goals for the season, while key man and captain Owen Bailey leads the squad with seven in all competitions.

He will be joined by Luke Molyneux and either Glenn Middleton or Jordan Gibson in support of Sharp, while George Broadbent and Harry Clifton will line up in the engine room.

Barnsley are unable to call on defenders Josh Earl, Georgie Gent and Mael de Gevigney, midfielder Adam Phillips and attacker Fabio Jalo on Saturday due to ongoing injuries, while Nathanael Ogbeta is a fresh concern after being forced off early against York City.

After being rested for the weekend's cup tie, David McGoldrick should return to the attack, joining Reyes Cleary in support of Davis Keillor-Dunn, who moved onto nine goals for the season with his brace last weekend.

Patrick Kelly and Jon Russell may both keep their places in the midfield alongside Luca Connell in the absence of Phillips, while Jack Shepherd and Marc Roberts should both be fit to start in the middle of the defence despite concerns in the week.

Doncaster Rovers possible starting lineup:

Lo-Tutala; Grehan, O'Riordan, Pearson, Maxwell; Broadbent, Clifton; Molyneux, Bailey, Gibson; Sharp

Barnsley possible starting lineup:

Cooper; Bland, Shepherd, Roberts, Watson; Connell, Kelly; McGoldrick, Russell, Cleary; Keillor-Dunn

We say: Doncaster Rovers 2-2 Barnsley

With both sides out of sorts in League One heading into the weekend, we anticipate a tight encounter in Doncaster and cannot quite pick a winner, instead opting for a high-scoring draw given the attacking quality of the teams.

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