Michael Duff has had a respectable first season in charge of Barnsley following his move to the Tykes in the summer, after he led Cheltenham Town to promotion to the third tier in 2021-22.
Duff also has a great record against Cambridge, having lost only one of his last seven matches as a manager against Saturday’s opponents.
Whilst the Yorkshiremen may not be taking League One by storm as they had done in previous seasons, the Northern Irishman has the team currently positioned in sixth place, and the Tykes will fancy their chances of at least finishing in the playoff places at the end of the season.
Barnsley have the chance to consolidate their position in the playoff places with a win over struggling Cambridge at Oakwell on Saturday. Depending on other results, victory over the U’s could take the Tykes to within three points of Derby County and Bolton Wanderers, who are fourth and fifth respectively, and also to within five points of Ipswich Town in third.
More importantly, the South Yorkshire side can stretch their lead over Peterborough United in seventh to six points with a win over Cambridge, should Posh fail to win themselves.
Barnsley are currently on a three-game unbeaten run following a 1-1 draw with Portsmouth at Fratton Park last weekend, and they will be hoping to make it three wins from their last four league games, by gaining another maximum-point haul against United.
Barnsley are 12th in League One for goals scored per match with 1.3, so the team’s top scorer Devante Cole will hope to increase his league tally of seven goals in order to move the Tykes up both the goals scored table and the League One table, starting on Saturday.
Michael Duff’s side have also gone eight games without recording a clean sheet, so the team’s defence but particularly the three central defenders, captain Mads Juel Andersen, Liam Kitching and the man who scored a late equaliser against Pompey, Bobby Thomas, will be hoping to rectify this and record a shutout against Cambridge.
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Mark Bonner’s Cambridge United are having a wretched season – the U’s are 23rd in the table and are winless in their last six games in all competitions, since a 2-1 win at home to Shrewsbury Town on Boxing Day, losing four of those games.
Cambridge will be hoping to kickstart their season with victory at Oakwell on Saturday, but to do so, they will have to turn around their awful away form of no wins on their travels in seven matches.
Three points on Saturday could take United out of the relegation zone, but this is dependent on the sides above them dropping points.
