Barnsley look to make it seven consecutive league victories as they face Birmingham City

Valérien Ismaël’s side have burst into life in recent weeks turning a mid-table looking campaign into a promotion-chasing one and sit just one point off the top six. Tykes fans will certainly be eager for their side to achieve a Play-Off finish.

Their opponents this weekend have been hugely disappointing this season under Aitor Karanka. The Blues currently sit three points above the relegation zone, having played two more games than Rotherham United who are breathing down their necks.

It’s hard to pinpoint where it has gone wrong for Birmingham this season, their squad isn’t one you’d look at with thoughts of relegation, but what can really be put to blame for their disappointing points haul is their abysmal home form.

In fact, Karanka’s side have picked up fewer points at home than any other side in the division, with just 12 points from 17 games at St Andrew’s this season.

In comparison, Barnsley have picked up 30 points in 16 matches at Oakwell. An impressive haul and that will give them great confidence against their struggling visitors this weekend.

Both sides have a couple of injury concerns, Liam Kitching and Benjamin Williams for Barnsley whilst Caolan Boyd-Munce and Zach Jeacock are sidelined for the Blues with Sam Cosgrove doubtful for the weekend’s fixture.

So both sides have almost all of their squad available, which is incredibly important at this stage of the season where fixtures are coming thick and fast and the squad’s in their entirety are being pushed to their limits.

Barnsley seem to be thriving under the quick turnaround, having picked up 18 points from their last possible 18.

Their brand of football under Ismaël is exciting, and that was brought to light on a large scale with their recent FA Cup tie against Chelsea.

Despite a 1-0 defeat, the Tykes were relentless in their pressing and high-tempo play. Very often you’ll see the underdog in the tie sit back, keep it tight and hope to nick an odd goal to see them through to the next round. Barnsley showed a completely different approach, carving out plenty of opportunities but unfortunately not converting them.

After narrowly avoiding the drop to League One last season, an uncomfortable and scrappy campaign was understandably expected for Barnsley this season. Any relegation worry is way beyond the Yorkshire side and the only way they seem to be heading is up.

The Tykes came out victorious in their previous meeting with Birmingham. Ismaël’s men took all three points back to Yorkshire as they came from 1-0 down to beat the Blues 2-1. Cauley Woodrow cancelled out Scott Hogan’s opener with a calmly tucked away penalty, before supplying Callum Styles with a ball to seal the win for the visitors.

Barnsley’s current form is scintillating and in truth, Saturday looks to be a very tough afternoon for their opponents. However, the Tykes’ run will not last forever and Birmingham are fighting for their second-tier status, as probably the most unpredictable league in English football, you cannot rule out the visitors taking points from this fixture.

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