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

Both aiming to end winless streaks in a South Yorkshire Derby, Rotherham United and Barnsley will square off at the AESSEAL New York Stadium on Saturday.

A poor Easter Weekend leaves the hosts 22nd in the League One table and 11 points adrift of safety, while their visitors have dropped to 14th spot following a defeat on Monday.

Match preview

Rotherham United head into the weekend aiming to end a dismal run of form in League One and keep any faint survival hopes alive.

The Millers have endured a poor campaign in England's third tier, picking up just nine wins and 37 points from their 40 games thus far, with only one side picking up fewer victories and just one team suffering more than their 21 defeats.

Matt Hamshaw would depart the club in mid-March, and Lee Clark is yet to inspire a turnaround in the side he inherited on 36 points from 37 matches, with a winless streak now stretched to seven games with the first three of his tenure having firstly lost 3-0 to Lincoln City and drawn with Stevenage.

A meeting with basement side Port Vale then followed most recently on Tuesday, but the Millers failed to pick up a much-needed first win since February, leaving empty-handed as Ryan Croasdale's sixth-minute goal made the only difference in a 1-0 home win.

That leaves Rotherham United 11 points adrift of safety, albeit with two games in hand on the two teams above the drop zone, but with only six games remaining themselves they are reliant on a near-perfect end to the season starting on Saturday if they are to stand a chance of escaping the bottom four.

Their visitors, meanwhile, also return to action aiming to arrest a slump in League One, having failed to guarantee their own safety recently.

Barnsley's 2025-26 season has been a disappointing one in League One, now sitting 14th having managed 51 points from their 39 games with 13 wins and 14 losses on the board and a league-high tally of 64 goals conceded.

Having kept games in hand throughout the second half of the term, the Reds still looked poised to challenge the playoff spots in the final run-in after three wins in a five-match span across March and February, but they have since slipped into the bottom half with a six-game winless streak, firstly playing out three straight draws and suffering a defeat before the international break.

The Easter Weekend would then produce just a single point for Conor Hourihane's men, as they drew 1-1 away to Burton Albion last Friday before hosting Plymouth Argyle on Monday and falling to a 3-0 beating at Oakwell as Owen Oseni netted a brace for the visitors alongside a Lorent Tolaj goal.

Now left 14th with their lead over the bottom four reduced to five points, Barnsley will now focus on cementing their League One status with a South Yorkshire derby win on Saturday with a chance to quickly climb back into the top half in their final seven games of the term.

Rotherham United League One form:

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Barnsley League One form:

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Team News

Rotherham United continue to contend with a long injury list, with Emmanuel Adegboyega, Lenny Agbaire, Marvin Kaleta, Kian Spence, Shaun McWilliams, Dru Yearwood, Joe Powell and Jordan Hugill all set to remain sidelined.

Those losses leave the Millers particularly light in the centre, and veteran Liam Kelly may have to continue alongside Josh Benson with little remaining midfield cover.

Ahead of them, Ar'Jany Martha, Duncan Watmore and Harry Gray should continue in support of front man Sam Nombe, who leads the squad with nine League One goals this season.

Barnsley are still unable to call on defender Josh Earl and winger Tawanda Chirewa.

Conor Hourihane may opt to shuffle his pack after Monday's 3-0 loss with Marc Roberts, Scott Banks and Adam Phillips among those who could come in from the outset.

David McGoldrick could move back into a lone striker role, having notched up 15 League One goals so far this season at 38 years of age, while Reyes Cleary will hope to refind his best form in support with six goals and 12 assists to his name in the league this term.

Rotherham United possible starting lineup:

Cann; Rafferty, Baptiste, Jules, James; Kelly, Benson; Martha, Watmore, Gray; Nombe

Barnsley possible starting lineup:

Goodman; De Gevigney, Roberts, O'Connell, Shepherd; Connell, Bland; Banks, Phillips, Cleary; McGoldrick

We say: Rotherham United 1-2 Barnsley

With both sides lacking momentum in the midst of winless streaks, we anticipate a close South Yorkshire Derby on Saturay.

While the visitors' defensive struggles are clear, their hosts are depleted and may struggle to punish them, and we envisage Rotherham United's slump and fall towards relegation continuing at the AESSEAL New York Stadium against a Barnsley side with attacking quality.

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