Barnsley and Stoke City measure forces at Oakwell Stadium, in a match for the 16th round of the Championship. There is no recent record of direct confrontations between these two teams, which have not played any games in the last 3 years. The last time they met was on 26-12-2007, in a match that ended the final score: Barnsley (3‑3) Stoke City. Particular attention is needed for the home / away condition, since both teams have significantly different results at home and abroad.
Barnsley :
After 1 win, 6 draws and 8 losses, the home team is currently in 23rd position, with 9 points won. In their last game, they tied with Bristol City at home by (2‑2), after in the previous game they lost by (2‑1) outside, in a match against Huddersfield Town. This is a team that curiously conquers more positive results as a visitor than at home, since in the last 30 matches it records 6 wins, 2 draws and 7 losses as a visitor, with 24 goals scored and 24 suffered; against 4 wins, 6 draws and 5 losses in his stadium, with 21 goals scored and 28 suffered. In his last 8 home games for the championship Barnsley won 1, drew 4 and lost 3, so he won 7 points in 24 possible.
For this competition, he doesn’t win 14 games. In their home league games the most frequent final score was 2-2 (3 in 8 games). His defense has not been very solid, since he suffered goals in 9 of the last 10 games, but his attack has scored regularly, since he scored goals in 7 of the last 10 games for this competition. In 15 games in this competition, he never got the comeback in the 9 games in which he suffered the first goal.
Barnsley comes to this game after a draw at home, by 2×2, against Bristol. The home team usually plays in a traditional 5-3-2, in which the two most advanced players are Woodrow and Wilks. Despite being at home, Barnsley is expected to adopt a more defensive stance, in order to avoid the first goal. Dougall, Chaplin and Mowatt can act in the most central area of the field, the latter being responsible for leading the attacks of their team. When you invest in the offensive process, you generally choose to try to channel your attacks from the right flank, so it will be easier to take advantage of the depth offered by defender Dimitri Cavaré. Coach Adam Murray must have all the players available for this match.
Stoke City :
The visiting team is currently in 24th position, with 8 points won, after 2 wins, 2 draws and 11 losses. In the penultimate match, he lost out against Millwall by (2-0). In the last game, he lost at home to West Bromwich Albion by (0-2). This is a team that curiously conquers more positive results as a visitor than at home, since in the last 30 matches it records 5 wins, 5 draws and 5 losses as a visitor, with 17 goals scored and 18 suffered; against 2 wins, 6 draws and 7 losses in his stadium, with 17 goals scored and 23 suffered. For the championship, Stoke City conquered 4 points in 21 possible, after 1 win, 1 draw and 5 losses in the last 7 games he played as a visitor. The team allowed goals to the opponent in 8 of the last 10 games for this competition, so he was not very strong defensively. In 15 games in this competition, he only got 1 comeback in the 10 games in which he suffered the first goal.
Stoke comes to this game with little motivation, after a 0-2 home loss against West Bromwich. The visiting team generally acts in a tactical system in 5-3-2, favoring rapid transitions, mainly through the wings. One of the forces of the visiting team is the way in which it takes advantage of direct free throws. Keep in mind that Stoke has many difficulties to take advantage of the goal opportunities he manages to create. Coach Rory Delap will not be able to count on Ryan Shawcross, who is in the medical department.
