Barnsleyvs.Bristol Rovers

The hosts got the better of their visitors in the previous meeting in September and sit six points better off in League One.

Match preview

Barnsley return to FA Cup action on Saturday aiming to return to the competition's third round after their disqualification last time around, having beaten Horsham in the first round only to be denied after fielding an ineligible player.

Their 2024-25 bid began with a trip to League Two leaders Port Vale in early November, and Darrell Clarke's side progressed with an impressive 3-1 victory, having initially gone ahead through Marc Roberts and retaken a lead through Davis Keillor-Dunn, before Adam Phillips put the game out of sight with a late penalty.

The Reds have since experienced a mixed run of form in their League One promotion bid, initially moving onto 25 points from 14 outings by beating Rotherham United, making it seven league wins for the season including a 2-1 triumph over Saturday's visitors in September thanks to goals from Keillor-Dunn and Phillips.

They have since, however, failed to add another notch to their wins column in three further attempts, firstly drawing with Cambridge United and suffering a home defeat to Wigan Athletic before most recently playing out a 2-2 draw with Reading at Oakwell on Tuesday, having led through Keillor-Dunn and fallen 2-1 behind before Josh Earl levelled the scores in the 72nd minute.

Barnsley will now aim to make a return to winning ways with a second home victory of the season over Bristol Rovers to punch their ticket to the third round before facing a tough trip to Wrexham on Tuesday.

The away side, meanwhile, will bid to avenge that earlier defeat and prevail in South Yorkshire to reach the third round for the fifth time in six seasons.

Bristol Rovers most recently reached that stage last time around, getting past Whitby Town and Crewe Alexandra to set up a tie with second-tier Norwich City, before eventually dropping out after a 1-1 away draw and a 3-1 replay defeat.

Their new campaign began at home to Weston-super-Mare in the first round, and Matt Taylor's side eventually came through the test, winning 3-1 after extra time thanks to goals from Connor Taylor and Grant Ward in the additional 30 minutes after Jamie Lindsay's goal was cancelled out in normal time.

The Gas followed that progression up with league draws against Lincoln City and Crawley Town and an impressive 1-0 win away at Mansfield Town thanks to Luke McCormick's goal, but their unbeaten run was brought to an end in a 2-0 loss to Blackpool on Tuesday as a Bryant Bilongo own goal and a Lee Evans penalty for the visitors made the difference.

With Taylor now undergoing a leave of absence due to a family emergency, Bristol Rovers head to Oakwell under the guidance of Wayne Carlisle and David Horseman in search of a first win at Oakwell in seven attempts since 1991.

Barnsley FA Cup form:

W

Barnsley form (all competitions):

L

W

W

D

L

D

Bristol Rovers FA Cup form:

W

Bristol Rovers form (all competitions):

L

W

D

D

W

L

Team News

Darrell Clarke may opt to make some changes to his Barnsley side to ensure freshness amidst a busy League One schedule.

Fabio Jalo and Sam Cosgrove could come into the attack and afford rests for Stephen Humphrys and Davis Keillor-Dunn, who has netted five goals so far this term.

Adam Phillips, who leads their scoring charts with six goals this season, could also sit out with Matthew Craig likely coming into the midfield, while Donovan Pines could join Mael De Gevigney and Josh Earl at the back.

Matt Taylor could also shuffle his pack for Saturday's FA Cup tie, although Joel Senior remains ruled out with an injury.

Grant Ward could earn a midfield spot from the outset, likely joining Kamil Conteh, while Gatlin O'Donkor could lead the line and allow Chris Martin a rest.

Luke Thomas and Scott Sinclair could also start on the wings, while Clinton Mola will hope to return to the defence from the outset after being reduced to a substitute appearance against Blackpool.

Barnsley possible starting lineup:

Killip; De Gevigney, Pines, Earl; Lofthouse, Craig, Connell, Russell, Gent; Jalo, Cosgrove

Bristol Rovers possible starting lineup:

Griffiths; Moore, Taylor, Wilson, Mola; Conteh, Ward; Sinclair, Sotiriou, Thomas; O'Donkor

We say: Barnsley 2-1 Bristol Rovers

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