Barnsley welcome Oldham Athletic to Oakwell on Wednesday, with kick-off at 19:00, as both clubs complete their EFL Trophy group-stage campaigns.
The Reds enter the contest following an emphatic FA Cup victory, although their performances in this competition have raised questions about their defensive organisation. Daniel Stendel's side have shown considerable attacking quality without consistently turning it into positive results.
Oldham arrive in stronger EFL Trophy form and will be looking to build on their impressive FA Cup victory against Sheffield Wednesday. Micky Mellon's team have demonstrated resilience in cup football, but their latest success required extra time.
Barnsley defeated Aldershot Town 7-2 on Saturday, with Cameron McGeehan scoring a hat-trick and Vimal Yoganathan contributing twice. Reyes Cleary also found the net before substitute Rylan Brownlie completed the scoring. The Reds dominated much of the contest, although two late goals from Anisius Lewis exposed defensive vulnerabilities.
Oldham progressed through the FA Cup first round following a 2-1 extra-time victory against Sheffield Wednesday at Boundary Park. Calum Kavanagh opened the scoring after meeting Noah Chilvers' delivery, but Davis Keillor-Dunn equalised during the second half.
Will Sutton eventually settled the contest in the 109th minute, heading home after Wednesday failed to clear a free-kick.
The result provided Oldham with another encouraging cup performance, although the additional playing time and their injury problems present challenges ahead of the trip to South Yorkshire.
How the bookies view it
Barnsley are favourites at 1/1, representing an implied probability of 50%. Oldham are available at 21/10, while the draw is priced at 3/1.
Over 2.5 goals is offered at 4/9, carrying an implied probability of 69.2%. Both teams to score is priced at 1/2, with the alternative available at 15/8.
The bookmakers anticipate an attacking contest, although Oldham's stronger group-stage results suggest the visitors should not be underestimated.
Head to head: Barnsley have won the last five meetings
Barnsley have won their last five competitive meetings with Oldham, although the clubs have not faced each other since September 2018. Their most recent encounter came in the EFL Trophy, when Barnsley recorded a 2-1 victory at Boundary Park.
The Reds also completed a League One double over Oldham during the 2015-16 campaign, winning both fixtures by the same scoreline. Barnsley secured a 3-1 away victory in March 2015, having won the reverse fixture 1-0.
Four of those five encounters produced at least three goals, although only one exceeded 3.5. The historical record favours Barnsley, but the lengthy gap between meetings limits its relevance to the current contest.
Player to watch: Cameron McGeehan to run the show for the hosts
Cameron McGeehan produced an influential performance in Barnsley's FA Cup victory against Aldershot, scoring three goals from midfield. The experienced midfielder opened the scoring with a powerful header from Jubril Okedina's cross.
He added two more after the interval, completing his hat-trick following a well-worked corner involving Luca Connell. McGeehan demonstrated his ability to arrive in dangerous attacking positions and capitalise on opportunities inside the penalty area.
He is expected to operate behind the central striker, alongside Yoganathan and Cleary. His movement and finishing provide Barnsley with another attacking threat against opponents who have already demonstrated their ability to compete with higher-division opposition.
Predicted lineups
Barnsley (4-2-3-1): Slicker; Okedina, Gale, Kay, Larkeche; Connell, Kelly; Yoganathan, McGeehan, Cleary; Adeyemo.
Oldham Athletic (3-4-1-2): Hudson; Sutton, Daniels, Monthe; Scott-Morriss, Pett, Norburn, Robson; Chilvers; Fondop, Kavanagh.
Anything else catch the eye?
Over 3.5 goals at 23/20 is the preferred selection, with Barnsley's recent cup performances providing the strongest statistical argument. Both of Barnsley's EFL Trophy matches have exceeded the 3.5-goal line. The Reds lost 4-3 against Leeds United U21 before suffering a 4-1 defeat against Fleetwood Town.
Those encounters produced 12 goals, averaging 6.00 per match. Barnsley scored four and conceded eight, highlighting their defensive difficulties.
Oldham's two group fixtures have produced seven goals, averaging 3.50 per contest. Their 4-2 victory against Leeds U21 exceeded the line, while their 1-0 success against Fleetwood did not. Across the four combined group matches, three have featured at least four goals, representing a 75% success rate.
Barnsley's longer-term EFL Trophy record strengthens the argument. Their previous ten appearances have featured 38 goals, with 13 scored and 25 conceded. Eight of those matches finished over 2.5 goals, while both teams scored in nine.
Oldham's corresponding ten-match record is less convincing for goals, with 26 produced and only four fixtures exceeding 2.5. The contrast makes Barnsley's defensive performances particularly important.
Their last three cup matches have produced 21 goals, averaging 7.00 per fixture, with 11 scored and ten conceded. All three exceeded the 3.5-goal line.
Oldham have demonstrated enough attacking ability to exploit those weaknesses, although their extra-time involvement against Wednesday introduces a possible fatigue concern. The visitors' more cautious scoring record prevents this from being an overwhelming statistical selection.
Nevertheless, Barnsley's recent attacking output, defensive problems and consistently high-scoring cup matches provide a reasonable case for backing at least four goals at 23/20.
GambleAware