Barnsley will be facing one of the crucial fixtures at the start of the New Year, as they prepare to welcome Leeds United. Leeds United come on the back of the poor run of form, which has seen them drop out of the play-offs position. As a result, pressure on their manager Simon Grayson has intensified in recent weeks. Many are expecting Simon Grayson to be sacked shortly if results do not improve given that Leeds united had the target of getting promotion this season. Simon Grayson is definitely not helped by the huge injury list for the visit to Barnsley, who are lying 16th in the table.
Even though they may not appear to be a major threat for Leeds united going by the position on the table, Barnsley are just five points behind Leeds United. They have the capacity to win against Leeds given that there will be ushered on by their home fans. However, Barnsley themselves are not doing well at the moment. They have suffered three straight defeats on the bounce. The defeat against Ipswich in a 5-3 match would have been hard to take, but not as hard as the 1-0 defeat against West Ham and the 1-3 defeat against Barnsley.
“Tom took a nasty knock to the head and he’s still being analysed by the doctors. He’s not trained since and we’re hopeful he’ll be fit but we’ve got to make sure he’s 100 per cent ready and given the all-clear first. Bringing Alex back strengthens our options and ensures we have a player who can step straight in if needed,” Simon Grayson said ahead of the match with Barnsley. He will be making a number of changes to the Leeds team in order to cope up with the injuries, which may provide a great opportunity for Barnsley.