Barnsley and Sheffield Wednesday will continue their preparations for the beginning of the 2021-22 campaign with a pre-season clash in South Yorkshire on Saturday afternoon.
Wednesday are building towards the start of their League One season against Charlton Athletic on August 7, while Barnsley open their Championship challenge away to Cardiff City on the same day.
Match preview
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Barnsley kicked off their preparations for the new season on Wednesday evening with a 2-1 victory over Rochdale at the Crown Oil Arena.
First-half goals from Carlton Morris and Liam Kitching saw the Tykes pick up the win in what was Markus Schopp's first match at the helm, having been confirmed as Valerien Ismael's replacement at the end of June.
Barnsley famously finished fifth in the Championship last season but were beaten 2-1 on aggregate by Swansea City in the semi-finals of the playoffs, meaning that it will be at least another year in the second tier.
Schopp's team will also take on Watford in a pre-season friendly on July 31 before opening their 2021-22 Championship campaign away to Cardiff City on August 7.
The Tykes are then in EFL Cup action against Bolton Wanderers on August 10 before continuing their league season at home to Coventry City four days later, and it will be fascinating to see how the team perform next term, particularly without Alex Mowatt, who has joined West Bromwich Albion.
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Sheffield Wednesday, meanwhile, were relegated from the Championship last season, having only picked up 41 points from 46 matches, which left them rooted to the bottom of the division.
The Owls will be looking to bounce back at the first time of asking, and they have shown positive signs in their last two pre-season matches, recording a 2-0 win over Chester and 1-0 victory over Alfreton Town.
Wednesday suffered a 3-1 loss to Celtic in their pre-season opener on July 7 but still have plenty of football to play this month, taking on West Brom, Wrexham and Port Vale in friendlies.
Darren Moore's side will then face Huddersfield Town in the first round of the EFL Cup at the start of August before beginning their League One campaign away to Charlton on August 7.
A number of players have left the Owls on free transfers this summer, but three new faces have arrived, and there are expected to be plenty more before the start of competitive action.
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Team News
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Barnsley boss Schopp named two different outfield XIs for each half against Rochdale, and it would not be a surprise to see the new manager opt for a similar plan this weekend.
Devante Cole was involved on Wednesday following his arrival on a free transfer from Motherwell, and there is a chance that the 26-year-old could be selected from the start on Saturday.
Brad Collins is again expected to feature between the sticks for the home team, while Morris and Kitching - both on the scoresheet against Rochdale - could be in the first XI once again.
As for Wednesday, head coach Moore also made 10 changes at the interval of Wednesday's clash with Alfreton, which was decided by a second-half effort from Andre Green.
The Owls will again make full use of their squad this weekend, with loan signing Olamide Shodipo likely to feature, while fellow new arrivals Jaden Brown and Dennis Adeniran should be involved.
Barry Bannan, Josh Windass and Charles Hagan should also be involved for the League One outfit, who are expected to have a couple of trialists in their squad for the match.
Head To Head
Sheffield Wednesday lead the overall head-to-head record between the two sides, having recorded 37 victories to Barnsley's 23, while there have also been 17 draws throughout history.
Last season in the Championship, Barnsley recorded a 2-1 victory at Hillsborough in December 2020, but Wednesday then ran out 2-1 winners in the reverse fixture in March 2021.
Four of the last seven league meetings between the two teams have finished level, and it would not be a surprise to see a close game this weekend, despite Wednesday's relegation to the third tier.
We say: Barnsley 1-1 Sheffield Wednesday
Wednesday will certainly feel that they can match their opponents this weekend, but building fitness will be the main aim of each manager. There is not an awful lot between the two teams in terms of quality thought the squad, and we are predicting a low-scoring draw in this pre-season clash.
Matt Law
