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Barnsley come into the weekend’s home contest a point outside of the top six in the League One table, having bounced back after dropping out of the playoff places.
Michael Duff‘s side sat in a strong position with 20 points from their opening 11 matches but then hit a tougher patch, going without a victory for the next four outings and managing just one point from a draw with Bolton Wanderers before suffering disappointing defeats at the hands of Morecambe and Lincoln City.
The Yorkshire outfit then managed to arrest their slump and return to winning ways when they hosted Forest Green Rovers at the end of October, triumphing 2-0 thanks to goals from Devante Cole and Josh Martin, before booking their FA Cup second-round place with a 2-1 victory away at Bolton.
In their bid to make it back-to-back three-point hauls in England’s third tier, Duff’s men made the trip to take on Shrewsbury Town last weekend, and after going ahead through Adam Phillips inside 10 minutes, they stood strong to see out a clean sheet and leave with all three points.
Such a result has seen Barnsley quickly climb back up to eighth spot and within a point of the top six, and they will aim to break back into the playoff spots with a third league win on the bounce at the weekend.
They meet an MK Dons side who have had a far tougher first half to the campaign, with Liam Manning‘s men currently sitting in the bottom four after their third-placed finish last time around.
In their 17 third-tier games so far this season, Saturday’s visitors have managed to collect just 14 points and only put four victories on the board, with the most recent of those coming away at Charlton Athletic in October as Will Grigg and Bradley Johnson netted second-half goals.
In their bid to build on that triumph and climb out of the relegation zone, the Dons travelled to Cheltenham Town but had to settle for a goalless draw before enjoying cup wins over Taunton Town and Morecambe and most recently hosting Derby County last weekend.
Getting points on the board will be the order of the day on Saturday when MK Dons take on Barnsley.
Still in the bottom four, despite a recent upturn in performance, Liam Manning’s side will be eager to bounce back from Saturday’s defeat to Derby County when they head to Oakwell.
Michael Duff’s side sit eighth in League One after their relegation from the Championship last term and have three wins in a row heading into the game.
Form at home for the Tykes though has been patchy, winning four, drawing ones and losing three of their eight games at Oakwell, though Dons offer the same form away from home.
In the last trip back in September 2014, Dons ran out 5-3 winners but not after a late scare as the Tykes scored all three of their goals in the last 10 minutes. In eight meetings between the sides, Don have claimed three wins to Barnsley’s two, with three draws
Dons will be without Daniel Harvie after the 25-year-old picked up his fifth booking of the season on Saturday against Derby County, while there remain question marks over Louie Barry after he suffered a head injury in the same game.
For Barnsley, Slobodan Tedic hurt his ankle on Saturday but played more than an hour after that so the Reds were hopeful he would be available for this next game. They are very low on strikers with James Norwood recovering from a glute problem, but he has an outside chance of playing on Saturday. Matty Wolfe, Jordan Helliwell, Conor McCarthy, Luke Thomas are all long-term absentees.
Referee Andy Haines will take charge of the game. The official has overseen 14 matches this season, booking 38 and sending off two. Dons fans last saw him in the 4-1 win over Crewe Alexandra in October 2021. Conor Brown and Steven Plane will run the lines with Fourth Official Bradley Hall.
Barnsley could look to come into Saturday’s game with an unchanged XI from the win at Shrewsbury, although striker Slobodan Tedic will be assessed after being forced off with an ankle issue.
If the Manchester City loanee is not deemed fit, Josh Martin should come into the front line alongside Devante Cole, with James Norwood also a major doubt, while Josh Benson is pushing to feature from the outset at the weekend.
Adam Phillips will again feature in midfield after his winner, likely alongside Luca Connell and Herbie Kane, while Mads Andersen will be joined by Liam Kitching and Tom Edwards in the back three.
MK Dons should again line up in Manning’s preferred 3-4-3 setup, with veteran defender Dean Lewington partnered by Warren O’Hora and Zak Jules in the back line.
Will Grigg will lead the line, having netted five league goals so far this season, while winger Louie Barry hit his first of the season in the third tier last time out.
Further back, Bradley Johnson should again join Josh McEachran in an accomplished midfield pairing.
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Barnsley possible starting lineup:
Collins; Edwards, Andersen, Kitching; Williams, Phillips, Connell, Kane, Cadden; Cole, Martin
MK Dons possible starting lineup:
Cumming; O’Hora, Lewington, Jules; Lawrence, Johnson, McEachran, Harvie; Barry, Grigg, Holland