Lincoln City travel to Oakwell to face a Barnsley side looking to make it three wins in a row as they chase a place in the play-offs.
Michael Skubala’s men will be hoping to bounce back from their 1-0 loss at home to relegation battling Burton Albion and try to rediscover some form going into the final stretch of the season.
It is just one win in six games for Lincoln, whose hopes of earning a spot inside the top six have all but diminished as they now sit in 13th. Ten points separate them and Leyton Orient, with win against Barnsley needed to reignite belief of a strong finish to the season for the Imps.
Opposition: Barnsley
Barnsley find themselves in 10th position under manager Darrell Clarke, and will likely look to Saturday’s game as a huge opportunity to boost their chances of finishing inside the play-off positions.
The Tykes finished sixth last season, narrowly losing 5-4 on aggregate to Bolton Wanderers in the semi-finals of the play–offs.
Clarke’s men have seven points from their last five games, scoring five in this period and beating Rotherham United and Northampton Town in their past two games.
A win against Lincoln would make it three victories on the bounce, as Barnsley look to keep the pressure on those above them.
Team News:
Michael Skubala described missing captain Paudie O’Connor for two games through suspension as a “big blow”, but said that Lewis Montsma is ready to come in.
Tom Hamer will likely be returning to the side either against Barnsley or on Tuesday, against Crawley Town, as he completed 45 minutes behind closed doors mid-week.
George Wickens is back in training and in contention for a start this weekend, while Jamie Pardington and Zach Jeacock are also confirmed to be fully fit in a full compliment of goalkeepers.
Head-to-Head:
The reverse fixture at the LNER Stadium saw Marc Roberts and Sam Cosgrove secure the three points for Barnsley, with Ben House finding a consolation to make it 2-1.
Before that, Lincoln were unbeaten in the teams previous five meetings, winning three and drawing two.
That included a massive 5-1 thrashing at Oakwell last season, in which Joe Taylor, Jack Moylan, Daniel Mandroiu and Jovon Makama all scored for the Imps.
Overall, Barnsley have won 34 meetings, Lincoln have won 26 times while the other 16 games have ended as draws.
Played for Both:
Current Mansfield Town midfielder George Maris was at Barnsley for two years and completed a loan move to Lincoln during his spell with the Reds. He scored two goals in 13 appearances for City.
Defender Kern Miller has also represented both clubs, starting his career in 2009 for Lincoln and moving to Barnsley after making just a single appearance in two years.
Other players that have appeared for both teams include forward Allan Pearce, defender Kevin Austin and winger Ron Smillie.