Out-of-form Barnsley welcome playoff-chasing Bristol City to Oakwell on Friday night looking for a result which will drag them off the bottom of the Championship table.
The Tykes have not won a single game since the opening day of the season, whereas Bristol City have only lost once since then and could move joint-top with victory in this match.
Match preview
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It is 12 years since Bristol City came within a whisker of earning promotion to the Premier League via the playoffs, and the signs so far suggest that the 2019-20 campaign may be their best opportunity to do so since Dean Windass ended their hopes on that occasion.
The Robins did not get off to the best start, failing to win any of their first three games across all competitions, but they have now lost just once inside 90 minutes in their last 14 matches since their opening-day defeat at home to Leeds United.
Lee Johnson's side did need an 86th-minute equaliser from Pedro Pereira to salvage that impressive run on Sunday, though, with the Portuguese midfielder scoring his first goal for the club in a 2-2 draw at Ashton Gate.
It was the second time in the space of five days that City had struck late to increase their points tally and, while victory at the weekend could have lifted them up to second, the draw does at least still give them the chance to move joint-top by beating Barnsley.
City are currently three points adrift of leaders West Bromwich Albion in a tight promotion battle and could even leapfrog the Baggies in first place, although to do so they would need to win by six clear goals and their spell at the summit would likely only last until the bulk of the action on Saturday.
On the flip side, any dropped points could give as many as six teams the chance to overtake them in the final playoff spot, and Bristol City come into this match without a win in their last three away outings.
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There is perhaps a glimmer of hope for Barnsley, then, although whether they are capable of capitalising on that is in doubt following a 14-match winless streak across all competitions.
The opening-day win over Fulham, which gave them a perfect return to the Championship following their promotion from League One, will feel like a long time ago already, having picked up just four points from a possible 36 since then.
Three of those points have come in the last five games, so there are signs of improvement, particularly since Adam Murray took caretaker charge following Daniel Stendel's departure.
Draws against high-flying duo Swansea City and West Bromwich Albion made for an encouraging start to his tenure, although that was halted with defeat to a resurgent Huddersfield Town on Saturday.
Just how long Murray will be at the helm for remains uncertain, but victory over Bristol City would do his chances of getting the job on a permanent basis no harm at all, as well as taking the Tykes off bottom and to within one point of safety.
Barnsley Championship form: LDLDDL
Bristol City Championship form: DDWLWD
Team News
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Bristol City are hopeful that Taylor Moore will recover in time for this match after being withdrawn at half time on Sunday following a collision with teammate Kasey Palmer.
Moore will undergo a late scan on his injured knee but is expected to be fit, while there is also promising news on long-term absentee Korey Smith.
The midfielder is now back in full training and could be in line to feature on Friday, although City have urged caution over his recovery and so he is unlikely to be in the starting lineup.
Barnsley, meanwhile, could welcome Patrick Schmidt back into the fold after he came through an Under-23 match unscathed earlier this week, even getting himself on the scoresheet.
Barnsley possible starting lineup:
Collins; Diaby, Andersen, Sibbick; Dougall; Cavarem McGeehan, Mowatt, Brown; Woodrow, Chaplin
Bristol City possible starting lineup:
Bentley; Moore, Williams, Baker; Pereira, Palmer, Brownhill, O'Dowda, Rowe; Weimann, Rodri
We say: Barnsley 1-1 Bristol City
Only West Brom have won more Championship points than Bristol City in 2019, but Barnsley look a lot harder to beat under Murray, particularly at home. The league's basement side have taken points off a couple of promotion chasers recently, and we're backing them to do the same on Friday night.
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