Barnsley welcome Oxford United to Oakwell on Saturday afternoon for their latest installation of League One action in the 2026-27 campaign.

In their previous outing, the Tykes fell to an agonising 2-1 defeat against Reading at the Select Car Leasing Stadium, while the U’s posted an impressive home win over a strong Stockport County side.

Match preview

Following their second consecutive mid-table finish in League One last season, placing 15th in the table and sitting 10 points clear of the relegation zone, Barnsley will be extremely concerned with the start to their latest league campaign in the third tier.

Having taken just one point from their opening pair of fixtures, the Tykes did well to respond and claim wins in each of their next two, however with six losses in their previous seven games, Saturday’s hosts are now only kept off the foot of the League One table by Wigan Athletic.

Barnsley’s biggest weakness so far this season has undoubtedly been their defensive fragility, with Daniel Stendel’s men not only conceding a worrying 21 league goals, but also surrendering 14 in just five cup matches, which has seen them eliminated from the EFL Cup at the second round stage and currently sat bottom of their EFL Trophy group.

However, with three wins in the previous four meetings between the sides, including an impressive 1-0 triumph at the Kassam Stadium in January 2024, the Tykes will be hoping that their strong recent record against Oxford can help them to end their losing streak on Saturday afternoon and start pushing up the league table.

After a disappointing demotion from the Championship in the 2025-26 campaign, losing three of their final four fixtures to finish 22nd in the table and four points from safety, Oxford will be delighted with how they have bounced back in the early stages of their latest league endeavours.

Since losing 3-1 to Huddersfield Town at the beginning of September, leaving them with just four points from their opening trio of matches, the U’s have not experienced defeat in League One and as a result sit third in the division, while also having at least a game in hand on all of the surrounding teams.

Much to the contrast of their opposition, Oxford’s defensive solidity has certainly been their strength over that period, with Aaron Ramsey’s men conceding just four goals in the previous eight league fixtures and only Bradford City surrendering fewer than their 10 so far this season.

While they have struggled against Barnsley in recent years, winning just one of their previous seven meetings with the Tykes, the U’s did secure victory on their last visit to Oakwell as strikes from Cameron Brannagan and Tyler Goodrham, alongside a Jordan Williams own goal, helped them to a 3-1 triumph in August 2023.

Barnsley League One form:

Barnsley form (all competitions):

Oxford United League One form:

Oxford United form (all competitions):

Team News

Barnsley will be without Portuguese forward Fabio Jalo against Oxford as the 20-year-old continues his recovery from a severe knee injury, while Jamaican midfielder Daniel Johnson is also set to be missing and unable to make his first appearance for the club.

Since signing from Manchester City U21s in the summer, Isaac Smith is yet to feature for the Tykes after picking up a knock in pre-season, however he is expected to return to training soon.

Ben Toure continues to be out due to personal reasons, though Stendel will be delighted to have welcomed Ziyad Larkeche, Makenzie Kirk and Cieran Slicker back to the squad in recent weeks.

Having served a three game league suspension after receiving a red card against Leicester City last month, Irish midfielder Luca Connell returned to action at Reading last weekend and is likely to start for the hosts once again on Saturday.

Jamie McDonnell is expected to be out until at least the new year for Oxford after the midfielder suffered a hamstring injury last month, while Dutch centre back Ruben Roosken is also yet to recover from a back issue and is likely to miss out on Saturday.

Having returned to training from a back problem in recent weeks, it remains to be seen whether South Korean midfielder Jeon Jin-Woo can feature in the matchday squad this weekend.

Netting five league goals so far this season, including the decisive strike against Stockport on Tuesday evening, Welsh forward Mark Harris is undoubtedly the visitors’ current dangerman and will be looking to add to his tally at Oakwell.

Barnsley possible starting lineup:

Slicker; Noslin, O'Riordan, Shepherd, Kay; McGeehan, Kelly; Brownlie, Yoganathan, Cleary; Adeyemo

Oxford United possible starting lineup:

Cumming; Kioso, Helik, Brown, Currie; Brannagan, Sibley; Missanga, Goodrham, Dembele; Harris

We say: Barnsley 1-3 Oxford United

Having suffered defeat in each of their previous four league matches, a feat they most recently replicated in April 2022, Barnsley will be eager to continue their promising recent record against Oxford this weekend and hope to climb out of the League One relegation zone.

However, with the U's currently one of the division's form sides, collecting 18 points from their previous eight matches, it is difficult to see the hosts maintaining that streak on Saturday and we predict Ramsey's men to take all three points from Oakwell.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.