League One Preview: Barnsley vs Bristol Rovers - Analysis and Insights

The League One season is now in full flight, and their campaign continues while the top leagues take a break to fit in international fixtures.

One of these games sees Barnsley go toe to toe with Bristol Rovers in a game which both sides will be desperate to win in order to validate their top six credentials. Both sides find themselves sitting on seven points after four games, winning two, while drawing and losing one game apiece.

🔙 Throwback Thursday!

Devante Cole and a winner by Corey O'Keeffe sealed three points for the Reds against Bristol Rovers in January, earlier this year! 📽️

Join us this Saturday! ⤵

— Barnsley FC (@BarnsleyFC) September 5, 2024

To prepare you for the game, we take a closer look at both sides, identifying key players, lineups, strategies and potential absences which could decide the game.

Barnsley vs Bristol Rovers Recent Form

While both have an identical win/draw/loss record from the opening four games of the season, the stories of how both achieved that could not be more different.

Barnsley have looked dangerous from the first game of the season, and have not yet failed to score in a game this season. After losing their first game of the season to Mansfield, they took their first victory of the campaign in the penalty shootout win over Wigan in the Carabao Cup.

They backed this result up with a 2-1 win over Lincoln City in the league, before losing their first group game in the EFL trophy to Manchester United U21’s 3-2, after conceding three goals in the last 10 minutes.

However, that narrow defeat appears to have inspired them, and they are undefeated in their three games since, drawing 2-2 with Northampton, before shocking Sheffield United in the Carabao Cup and hammering Crawley 3-0 in the league.

While they looked vulnerable at the back in the early stages of the season, clean sheets in their last two games suggest they have found an effective way to address these defensive issues, and having scored in every game so far, no opponent will relish facing Barnsley from a losing position.

Bristol Rovers have not looked quite as convincing as entertainers Barnsley, but they have certainly been able to grind out results where they have needed to so far.

Opening the season with a 1-0 win over Northampton, they then lost three of their next four games, although only one of those, a 2-0 defeat to Stockport County, came in the league.

Cardiff knocked them out of the Carabao Cup by a convincing 2-0 scoreline, before Rovers followed in Barnsley’s footsteps by also losing their first group game in the EFL Trophy, this time on penalties after an enthralling 3-3 draw with Tottenham U21’s.

However, their most recent result, a 2-0 victory over Cambridge United, saw them return to winning ways, and they now sit 9th in League One, two spots behind next opponents Barnsley due to inferior goal difference.

You admire the first-time cross, and then you see the assist.#BristolRovers pic.twitter.com/VJyVtRxs27

— Edward Walker (@edward_w97) August 31, 2024

It is a tale of two completely different sides, as Barnsley have more than double the goal total of Bristol Rovers. On the flipside however, they have also conceded the number of goals as Bristol’s combined total of scored and conceded.

With two different sides with totally different styles, the game promises to be fascinating, and it is very tricky to predict a winner.

Barnsley vs Bristol Rovers Goal Scorers

With their superior firepower upfront, Barnsley have a number of attackers who could be considered number one goalscorers. However, the label of top scorer and chief goal threat actually goes to wide midfielder Adam Phillips, who has started this season in the same vein of form in which he ended the last.

⚽️ Brace-scorer Adam Phillips reacts to victory over Crawley Town yesterday! pic.twitter.com/6S3kta9GMP

— Barnsley FC (@BarnsleyFC) September 1, 2024

Scoring three goals in four league games to kick start his season, right after he finished the 2023/24 season with eleven goals and six assists, Phillips is deservedly seen as a big threat to any opponent. Having that sort of quality from out wide is something many teams at this level would sell an arm and a leg for.

Bristol Rovers’ story looks quite different, as none of their players have scored in multiple games so far this season. Their top scorer is striker Promise Omochere with two goals, with both coming the Rovers’ most recent win over Cambridge.

However, with four other players on one goal each, it can never be considered a bad thing for the goals to be shared around. If you don’t know exactly who the goals will come from, a team threat suddenly becomes a lot harder to pinpoint.

Barnsley vs Bristol Rovers Team News

Barnsley have suffered two injuries in the season so far. The first of these was Corey O’Keefe, who went off in the second half of Barnsley’s superb win over Sheffield United. However, it was only a trivial knock, as he returned in their next game with an assist as they dominated Crawley Town.

Max Watters was taken off injured in their latest game, and is unlikely to be fit for their next couple of games bar some form of miracle.

Bristol Rovers have been fortunate to have so far navigated their season without losing a member of their squad, and will hope that this luck continues as they face a free scoring Barnsley.

Barnsley vs Bristol Rovers Predicted Lineups

Barnsley (4-5-1): Slonina (GK), Cotter, de Gevigney, Pines, Earl, O’Keefe, Phillips, Craig, Connell, Lofthouse, Marsh.

Bristol Rovers (3-5-2): Griffiths (GK), Sousa, Wilson, Mola, Thomas, Ward, Conteh, Garrett, Akono Bilongo, Sotiriou, Omochere.

Barnsley vs Bristol Rover Player to Watch

As mentioned previously, Adam Phillips is the main threat for Barnsley, combining his passing prowess with his direct running and eye for goal.

A beautiful strike from the edge of the box by Adam Phillips puts us on level terms. Barnsley 1-1 Derby pic.twitter.com/7pgSHvkHDh

— Chris Mann (@The_Mannster) February 24, 2024

Typically a playmaker, Phillips loves picking out overlapping runs or cutting inside to find the striker with his back to goal, but in recent seasons has seen goalscoring become a welcome habit.

Whether it is finishing a team move from the right hand side or simply being in the right place at the right time, Phillips is the key to unlocking the Bristol Rovers defense, and if he is in the form that saw him score twice against Crawley, the Rover’s defense could be in for one hell of a ride.