After completing the great escape last season, Barnsley and Luton Town square off in the Championship on Saturday afternoon still relieved to have remained in the second tier.
Barnsley only survived courtesy of a last-day win at promotion-chasing Brentford, while Luton needed a dramatic victory over Blackburn Rovers to finish in 19th position.
Match preview
© Reuters
Ahead of the resumption in June, Barnsley and Luton found themselves on the brink of being cut adrift in the race for survival, predicaments intensified by the financial implications of the coronavirus pandemic.
However, Gerhard Struber and Nathan Jones - a replacement for Luton's previous boss Graeme Jones - somehow managed to orchestrate a set of results which saw both clubs retain their statuses in the Championship.
Barnsley claimed 15 points from nine games from June 20 onwards, while Luton claimed one point extra over the same amount of matches.
With the slate now wiped clean, Struber and Jones must find a way to keep the Tykes and Hatters away from trouble in the long run, a task far more testing than putting together promotion-like form over the space of five weeks.
Nevertheless, both clubs have been boosted by their performances and results in the EFL Cup last weekend, particularly Luton, who got the better of Norwich City at Kenilworth Road.
That result occurred despite Jones opting to limit his activity in the transfer market, an indication that there is trust in the players who have responded to his guidance since his appointment.
Struber has also shied away from making wholesale changes, although the Austrian's squad is now a player lighter after key midfielder Jacob Brown departed for Stoke City this week.
Barnsley will head into Saturday's meeting at Oakwell having gotten the better of Nottingham Forest last weekend, the decisive goal coming from last season's top scorer Cauley Woodrow.
Barnsley form (all competitions): W
Luton Town form (all competitions): W
Team News
© Reuters
Despite their victory over Norwich, Jones will make changes to his Luton side, which should include an appearance for Tom Lockyer.
However, Jordan Clark and Kazenga Lua Lua made an impact off the substitutes' bench, putting themselves in contention for a starting role.
With a victory over Forest under their belt, the same Barnsley XI which began that fixture should get the nod for this contest.
If they are named in the 18-man squad, new signings Isaac Christie-Davies and Michal Helik will likely be selected among the replacements.
Barnsley possible starting lineup:
Walton; Sollbauer, Andersen, Williams; Ludewig, Mowatt, Styles, Ritzmaier; Adeboyejo, Woodrow, Chaplin
Luton Town possible starting lineup:
Sluga; Cranie, Lockyer, Bradley, Norrington-Davies; Berry, Ruddock-Mpanzu, Rea; Lua Lua, Collins, Lee
We say: Barnsley 2-1 Luton Town
After their scalps last weekend, both teams will head into this encounter in confident mood. However, we cannot look past the home side on this occasion, who will be targeting a mid-table spot given their form since the turn of the year.
Top betting tip
Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting a double chance bet on a home win or an away win in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Home/Away:data
Darren Plant
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 Barnsley win with a probability of 44.77%. A win for Luton Town had a probability of 29.8% and a draw had a probability of 25.4%.
The most likely scoreline for a Barnsley win was 1-0 with a probability of 10.18%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.13%) and 2-0 (7.7%). The likeliest Luton Town win was 0-1 (7.99%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.07%). The actual scoreline of 0-1 was predicted with a 8% likelihood.
