Barnsley have been handed a fitness boost ahead of Sunday’s Yorkshire derby against Leeds United with the news that three players could make their return to the starting line-up.
Speaking prior to this weekend’s game, Head Coach Daniel Stendel confirmed that Jacob Brown, Alex Mowatt and Cauley Woodrow have been involved in training and are in contention to face Marcelo Bielsa’s side at Oakwell.
“Jacob trained the last two weeks and I think he can play on Saturday, and Alex is back, which is good,” said Stendel. “With the other players, we need to see today and tomorrow in training, but I’m happy that the players are back and that we have more options.
“Cauley Woodrow also trained this week. I think we missed him in the last games, so we’re happy that he trained. He’s not fully fit, but can play.”
Barnsley head into this fixture on the back of a 0-0 draw at Wigan Athletic before the international break.
It was a much-improved performance from Stendel’s side, who had come unstuck against Luton Town in their previous outing.
However, the Reds’ Head Coach says that he is happy with how his players have implemented themselves on the training ground, insisting that they are raring to go on Sunday.
“When you work hard, the quality is better and we want to show this in this game in front of our fans at our stadium,” continued Stendel. “It’s a derby and we want to show our hard work – we lost the last game here against Luton and we want to start better.
“I have seen a lot of our mentality and style in training this week, and this is what I expected. This is important in this league and what we need to do to win games. Playing Leeds is an extra motivation; we want to win every game and this is the feeling that I have in training.
“I’m looking forward to playing this game – this is why we work in football. It will be a great atmosphere and I’ve prepared myself for it. Leeds are a big club and I can’t wait for the game on Sunday.”
You can watch Daniel’s full press conference on iFollow Barnsley.
