Caretaker manager Adam Murray and his newly-inherited Barnsley side will be hoping for a change in fortune this weekend to distract from the current unrest that surrounds the club.

Match preview

Coventry City's Ben Sheaf in action against Barnsley in the Championship on September 26, 2020 © Reuters

Barnsley, who sit 21st in the Championship table, face an uphill task to turn things around having lost their manager Gerhard Struber to New York Red Bulls during the international break.

Adam Murray, who has temporarily taken charge, will be hoping the Tykes can cause an upset to secure their first win of the season and move clear of the relegation zone.

To add to their woes, this week the Yorkshire club had to terminate the contract of 22-year-old defender Bambo Diaby for falling foul of anti-doping regulations.

An FA statement confirmed that "Bambo Diaby has been suspended from all football and football-related activity for two years following a breach of The FA's Anti-Doping Regulations."

Nahki Wells celebrates scoring for Bristol City against Stoke City on September 20, 2020 © Reuters

From City's perspective, all is well having notched up a fourth consecutive win with a 2-1 success at Nottingham Forest to seal Sabri Lamouchi's fate in the process.

A superb display from Daniel Bentley and early goals from Andreas Weimann and Nahki Wells were ultimately enough to see off Forest and keep Dean Holden's side flying high in the Championship.

Holden's side have won six of their last seven games, with a 3-0 defeat to Aston Villa in the EFL Cup the only fly in the ointment.

City's transfer window has been subdued, though there is talk of midfielder Joe Morrell closing in on a move to Championship rivals Luton Town, with the Robins' fans understood to be unhappy about the prospect of seeing an academy graduate leave.

Barnsley Championship form: LLDL
Barnsley form (all competitions): LWLLDL

Bristol City Championship form: WWWW
Bristol City form (all competitions): WWWLWW

Team News

Bristol City manager Dean Holden pictured in September 2020 © Reuters

Murray could decide to select the same XI that started against Middlesbrough but will need to decide whether Luke Thomas retains his place after failing to impact at the Riverside.

Elliot Simoes and Patrick Schmidt could both be recalled, having featured off the bench in the team's last two matches.

Pending any fitness issues incurred during the international break, City are likely to name the same lineup which has seen them start the campaign so well.

Club captain and key defender Tomas Kalas is still sidelined with a shoulder injury.

Barnsley possible starting lineup:
Walton; Sollbauer, Helik, Andersen; Williams, Mowatt, Styles, Ludewig; Chaplin, Thomas, Woodrow

Bristol City possible starting lineup:
Bentley; Vyner, Moore, Mawson; Hunt, Paterson, Bakinson, Weimann, Rowe; Wells, Martin

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We say: Barnsley 0-3 Bristol City

Bristol City's visit to Oakwell is unlikely to provide Adam Murray and the club with any respite. We expect to see City run out comfortable winners, which could see them open up a lead at the top should Reading drop points at Middlesbrough, while also condemning Barnsley to the relegation zone.

Top betting tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 3.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.

Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Barnsley win with a probability of 42.51%. A win for Bristol City had a probability of 31.25% and a draw had a probability of 26.2%.

The most likely scoreline for a Barnsley win was 1-0 with a probability of 10.63%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.82%) and 2-0 (7.52%). The likeliest Bristol City win was 0-1 (8.83%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.47%). The actual scoreline of 2-2 was predicted with a 5.2% likelihood.