Following differing starts to their League One campaigns, Lincoln City and Barnsley will square off at the LNER Stadium in the second round of third-tier fixtures on Saturday.
The hosts kicked off with an away win over Burton Albion last weekend, while their visitors fell short in the league's curtain-raiser at home to Mansfield Town.
Match preview
© Imago
Lincoln City return to the LNER Stadium on Saturday aiming to make it back-to-back wins to kick off their League One season, having made a winning start last weekend after an impressive season last time around.
Following Michael Skubala's arrival in November, the Imps moved into the third-tier playoff race, eventually finishing agonisingly short in seventh spot on 74 points, two behind Saturday's visitors in sixth place following a final-day defeat to Portsmouth.
Aiming to build on that eye-catching improvement and mount another top-six charge this term, Skubala's men began the 2024-25 campaign with a trip to Burton Albion last Saturday and prevailed in an eventful encounter, eventually taking all three points from a 3-2 win thanks to Paudie O'Connor's brace and a Tendayi Darikwa goal, with the latter's second goal being the decisive one in the 86th minute.
The Imps then headed into their first competitive home game of the season on Tuesday, as fourth-tier Harrogate Town visited for an EFL Cup first-round tie, and they dropped out in disappointing fashion, succumbing to a 2-1 defeat having initially gone two goals down before Jovon Makama halved the deficit from the penalty spot five minutes from time.
Now with their focus fully on their third-tier pursuits on the back of a winning start, Lincoln City will look to put another three points on the board at the weekend with the aim of putting themselves in the leading pack when the division begins to take shape.
Their visitors, meanwhile, travel to Lincolnshire aiming to get off the mark at the second time of asking in their own League One promotion bid this term.
Barnsley spent the majority of the 2023-24 term under the management of Neill Collins, and after his departure prior to the final regular-season game, they were able to scrape into a second straight playoff campaign under the temporary stewardship of Martin Devaney, only to fall short of reaching the final having suffered a 3-1 defeat in their home leg against Bolton Wanderers and only managed a 3-2 win in the reverse fixture.
Then aiming to go one better and make a return to the Championship at the third time of asking, the Reds turned to Darrell Clarke over the summer, and after a busy pre-season run, his tenure began at home to Mansfield Town last Friday, with the South Yorkshire outfit leaving empty-handed following a 2-1 defeat, despite Luca Connell halving the deficit on the half-hour mark after Stephen Quinn and Lee Gregory had the visitors two goals ahead inside 20 minutes.
The Reds were then also back in action on Tuesday in a trip to Wigan Athletic in the EFL Cup first round, and they would progress by triumphing in a penalty shootout after playing out a 1-1 draw in 90 minutes thanks to Donovan Pines's equaliser at the start of the second half.
Barnsley now head to the LNER Stadium on Saturday aiming to put last week's disappointment behind them and get up and running in their latest League One promotion bid.
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Team News
© Imago
After rotating for their midweek EFL Cup tie, Lincoln City may field the same starting XI from Saturday's victory over Burton Albion, with Sean Roughan and Adam Jackson set to rejoin Paudie O'Connor in a back three.
Elsewhere, Ethan Erhahon will continue to play a key role at the base of the midfield, while Tom Bayliss should return alongside JJ McKiernan in a more advanced role.
Rob Street and Freddie Draper led the line against Harrogate Town last time out, but Michael Skubala may revert to the front two of Ben House and Jovon Makama, who opened his account on the bench in that game after getting the nod to start on the opening day.
Barnsley may also make several changes to the starting XI that turned out away at Wigan Athletic on Tuesday, with Ben Killip expected to return between the sticks after Chelsea loanee Gabriel Slonina earned a debut in the EFL Cup.
Marc Roberts, who returned to Oakwell over the summer after seven years away from the Reds with Birmingham City, should also come back in from the outset in a back three, likely alongside Mael De Gevigney and Josh Earl, despite Donovan Pines scoring their goal against Wigan.
Elsewhere, key men Luca Connell and Adam Phillips will come back into the midfield, likely alongside summer arrival Matthew Craig, while Max Watters and Sam Cosgrove should line up in attack following the summer departures of Devante Cole and John McAtee, with the outgoing duo having netted a combined tally of 30 league goals last season.
Lincoln City possible starting lineup:
Wickens; Jackson, O'Connor, Roughan; Darikwa, Bayliss, Erhahon, McKiernan, Duffy; House, Makama
Barnsley possible starting lineup:
Killip; De Gevigney, Roberts, Earl; O'Keefe, Craig, Connell, Gent; Phillips; Watters, Cosgrove
We say: Lincoln City 1-1 Barnsley
We anticipate a tight and hard-fought contest on Saturday between two sides with plenty of quality and cannot quite pick a winner, instead opting for a low-scoring draw at the LNER Stadium.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Sam Varley
