Preview: Wigan Athletic vs Barnsley - prediction, team news, lineups

Two of the bottom four teams in the League One table will meet in an important contest at the Brick Community Stadium on Saturday, as Wigan Athletic welcome Barnsley.

The hosts have climbed off the foot of the division with a win and a draw in their last two games, while their visitors now sit 23rd and two points worse off.

Match preview

Wigan Athletic return to action at the Brick Community Stadium aiming to continue an improvement in League One and a four-match unbeaten streak in all competitions.

They endured a dismal start to the 2026-27 season, picking up just seven points from their first 12 games having won just two and lost nine of those while scoring just eight goals and conceding 20.

That culminated in three straight defeats for the Latics in late October, falling to Oxford United, Huddersfield Town and Leicester City in three straight away games, before making a crucial return to winning ways at home to fellow strugglers Bromley with Christian Saydee, K'Marni Miller and Bradley Burrowes scoring in a hard-fought 3-2 triumph.

A goalless stalemate with Mansfield Town followed, before Gary Caldwell's side headed into consecutive cup games, beating Boreham Wood 3-0 away from home in the FA Cup last weekend and Crewe Alexandra 2-1 in the EFL Trophy on Tuesday with Jeremiah Chilokoa-Mullen and Rimmer Harrison scoring in the latter.

Now with some renewed confidence and their longest unbeaten streak since April, having moved within a point of escaping the bottom four while winning two and drawing one of their last three home league games, Wigan Athletic will look for another three-point haul on Saturday.

Their visitors, meanwhile, will hope to leapfrog their hosts on the back of a pair of cup wins of their own.

Back under the management of Daniel Stendel following a change over the summer, Barnsley have endured a similarly poor start to the League One season, now sitting ninth after 12 games with just nine points on the board, having managed two wins alongside seven defeats.

In those 12 outings, the Reds have conceded 22 goals and are winless in their last eight matches in the league, most recently hosting Oxford United on the back of four straight defeats and drawing 1-1, despite being reduced to 10 men inside 10 minutes, as they then led through Vimal Yoganathan and were pegged back.

A break in third-tier action then came in the FA Cup and EFL Trophy, firstly thrashing Aldershot 7-2 to advance in the former before beating Oldham Athletic 5-2 on Wednesday with Makenzie Kirk scoring a brace alongside goals from Daniel Johnson, Yoganathan and Luke Alker.

Having rebuilt crucial optimism with a pair of convincing cup wins, on the back of an improved display against Oxford, Barnsley will now bid to make it three straight wins and a first league victory since early September to boost their own standing at the bottom end of the table.

Wigan Athletic League One form:

Wigan Athletic form (all competitions):

Barnsley League One form:

Barnsley form (all competitions):

Team News

Wigan Athletic will likely be without forward Scott Hogan, who picked up an injury against Mansfield and missed their two cup games, while Dara Costelloe and Luke Harris should also miss out.

Those absences leave the Latics light up top, and Reggie Walsh and Bradley Burrowes may support lone front man Christian Saydee.

Fraser Murray started in both cup games having returned from a suspension off the bench against Mansfield and could start at the weekend, while Charlie Gray and Jon Mellish will likely compete to join Max Power in midfield.

Barnsley remain without defender Connor O'Riordan and attackers Ben Hamed Toure and Fabio Jalo through injury.

Key midfielder Patrick Kelly is also away on international duty with Northern Ireland, meaning Daniel Johnson should partner Luca Connell in the engine room after his midweek goal.

Ahead of them, Makenzie Kirk, who got a brace on Tuesday, should get the nod to lead the line with support from Yoganathan, Cameron McGeehan and Reyes Cleary.

Wigan Athletic possible starting lineup:

Whitworth; Burns, Carragher, Weir; Barrett, Power, Gray, Murray; Walsh, Saydee, Burrowes

Barnsley possible starting lineup:

Slicker; Noslin, Kay, Shepherd, Larkeche; Johnson, Connell; Yoganathan, McGeehan, Cleary; Kirk

We say: Wigan Athletic 1-1 Barnsley

Both teams have shown signs of improvement in recent weeks and will be desperate to avoid a defeat which would halt their progress and keep them in the drop zone while again draining their confidence.

For that reason, we can envisage the contest ending level at the Brick Community Stadium as both push to continue unbeaten streaks.

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