Read all the pre-match information ahead of the big Yorkshire derby this weekend.
Barnsley will be looking to bounce back from last weekend’s defeat at Fulham when they host Yorkshire rivals Leeds United at Oakwell.
That 2-1 loss ended the Reds’ five-match unbeaten run in all competitions and saw them drop down to 10th place.
With a strong home crowd behind them however and just one defeat in their last six league games at Oakwell, Paul Heckingbottom’s men will be ready to put in a big performance.
Visitors Leeds go into the game having won five of their last six matches in the Championship.
That fine unbeaten run leaves the Whites in third place and only six points behind second-placed Brighton.
Despite picking up just four points from nine on the road in recent times, Garry Monk’s side have won four out of their last six away from Elland Road in the league and will arrive in South Yorkshire full of confidence.
Previous Meetings
The Reds will be hoping to avenge October’s 2-1 defeat at Elland Road.
On that occasion goals from Kyle Bartley and Pablo Hernandez secured a second win on the bounce for Leeds against Barnsley.
Despite the first of those triumphs coming at Oakwell, the Tykes have actually won four of the last five clashes between the sides on home soil.
With that in mind and the Reds currently on 19 wins in this fixture, Paul Heckingbottom’s men will look to close in on the Whites’ 22 victories.
Team News
Adam Armstrong will be pushing to make his first league start since late November against the Whites.
The on-loan Newcastle man has netted three times for the Reds so far and will be hoping to build on his 30-minute cameo at Fulham last weekend.
Elsewhere, George Moncur and Ryan Kent could be involved after also coming off the bench in that defeat at Craven Cottage, but Paul Heckingbottom continues to be without Andy Yiadom (international duty),
Saidy Janko and Sessi D’Almeida (both injury).
Visitors Leeds will be without defender Pontus Jansson as he sits out the final game of his two-match ban.
Garry Monk will be hopeful of having Liam Cooper back in his squad however following a knee injury but if he fails to recover in time, Luke Ayling will continue alongside Kyle Bartley at the heart of the Leeds
defence.
One man who will not be available however is left-back Charlie Taylor, who remains sidelined with an Achilles problem.
Man in the Middle
Premier League official Mike Dean will take charge of the Reds for the first time in 10-and-a-half years.
The 48-year-old was the man in the middle for Barnsley’s 2-2 home draw against Southampton in 2006; in which he awarded both sides a penalty.
Despite meeting with the Reds just once, he has taken charge of Leeds on a much more regular basis, with the Whites winning 10, drawing two and losing 11 in his company.
The most recent of those fixtures came in January 2015 when he took charge of the Club’s 1-0 FA Cup defeat at Sunderland.
So far this season the Wirral-based referee has watched over 19 games, dishing out 80 yellow cards and five reds; one of which was shown controversially to West Ham midfielder Sofiane Feghouli against
Manchester United in January.
Their Star Man
Chris Wood’s first-half header against Derby last Friday night may have secured three points for the Whites at Elland Road, but it was also the New Zealander’s 17th goal of the campaign.
That is some return for a player who is in just his second season with the Club, having joined from Leicester in July 2015.
After netting 13 last term, the former West Brom man has taken his game to a new level this time out; bagging 10 in his last 15 appearances including three in his last two games.
That return is the 25-year-old’s best to date since arriving in English football back in 2008, but the ex-Barnsley loanee brings much more than just goals, with his power and strength providing Leeds with a great
outlet at all times.
Rather interestingly however, 12 of Wood’s 17 goals have come at Elland Road this season and with the Auckland-born forward not finding the back of the net away from home since late November, the Reds will be eager to extend that run.
Mutual Man
In July Notts County became the 10th Club of defender Carl Dickinson’s 12-year career.
Starting out at Stoke City, the 29-year-old enjoyed several loan spells away from the Potteries including at both Barnsley and Leeds.
The Derbyshire-born left-back joined the Whites in January 2009 and although he played the full 90 minutes in a 1-0 derby defeat at Huddersfield, Dickinson did feature in four wins during his stay at Elland Road.
Not only that but the versatile defender started all seven of his games in West Yorkshire, which earned him two Premier League appearances on his return to parent Club Stoke.
Despite that however, just a month into the 2009-10 campaign and Dickinson was being sent out on loan once again, this time to Oakwell.
The tough-tackling defender - who joined the Club along with Stoke teammate Ryan Shotton – became an instant hit in South Yorkshire and on his ninth outing for the Club, he netted an unstoppable free-kick to earn the Reds a long-awaited 1-0 victory against Cardiff.
More strong performances saw Dickinson’s loan deal extended until the end of the season and he remained a regular in the side, appearing 29 times in total; 28 of which were starts.
After helping the Reds survive relegation by seven points he spent the 2010-11 season with Portsmouth, before leaving Stoke permanently in July 2011 to join Watford.
Two years at Vicarage Road – which included temporary switches to Pompey and Coventry – was followed by three seasons with Port Vale but after turning down a new deal, the former Tyke penned a two-year contract with Notts County in the summer.
Form Guide
Barnsley’s last five at home before playing Blackpool: (DLWWD)
Barnsley 0-0 Wigan Athletic (19/11/2016)
Barnsley 2-5 Nottingham Forest (25/11/2016)
Barnsley 2-1 Norwich City (10/12/2016)
Barnsley 2-0 Blackburn Rovers (26/12/2016)
Barnsley 2-2 Birmingham City (31/12/2016)
Leeds’ last five games on the road: (LLWDW)
Liverpool 2-0 Leeds (EFL Cup; 29/11/2016)
Brighton 2-0 Leeds (9/12/2016)
Preston 1-4 Leeds (26/12/2016)
Aston Villa 1-1 Leeds (29/12/2016)
Cambridge 1-2 Leeds (FA Cup; 9/1/2017)
Tickets are still available for the clash against Leeds United at Oakwell tomorrow! This is an ALL TICKET fixture so buy yours today by CLICKING HERE!
