Barnsley are gearing up to face Cardiff City in a vital clash at Oakwell that could go a long way to determining their end of season fate as they currently sit five points adrift of safety.

The Tykes were sunk deeper into relegation trouble last weekend when they fell to a 2-0 defeat away to Reading after three straight wins, seeing them fall five points off safety after  a very impressive winning run.

With wins over Fulham, Middlesbrough and Hull City coming successively, there was a lot of hope building around Oakwell that Gerhard Struber could pull off a successful survival bid in the run-in, but these hopes were dealt a massive blow as Yakou Meite and George Puscas fired the Royals to a win over them.

They now welcome Cardiff City to South Yorkshire looking to get their push for survival back on track with a win that could see them steal a march on Stoke City in 21st-place.

Last time these two faced was in mid-December at the Cardiff City Stadium in an enthralling encounter that saw the Bluebirds come out 3-2 victors thanks to a 94th-minute Lee Tomlin winner.

It sunk the spirits of the Tykes after they had just recently ended their 17-game winless run the game prior, and the sides remain in very similar positions as they prepare to face off tomorrow.

Struber has tinkered with his lineups regularly this season and Saturday will probably be no different. Here is the lineup we expect Struber to name against Neil Harris’ Bluebirds…

Having switched between three at the back and four at the back in his time at Oakwell, it seems as if Struber looks to counteract his opponents set up to control the midfield with similar numbers to the opponent, and with Cardiff likely to play three in midfield, Struber will probably operate with a 4-3-1-2 setup.

In goal will remain Brad Collins as Sami Radlinger edges close to full fitness following illness. Even then, Collins has been a reliable member of the squad since coming into the lineup and deserves to keep his place.

In the back four will be Kilian Ludewig, Michael Sollbauer, Aapo Halme, and Clarke Oduor. As aforementioned, it would make sense to operate with a back four rather than a back three considering that Cardiff will be coming with three in their attack, most likely. Ludewig gets the nod over Jordan Williams and sees Oduor get his place at left-back.

In midfield will be Alex Mowatt, Luke Thomas, and Mike Bahre as Barnsley look to control the midfield with a very high press to win the ball in good areas to counter the Bluebirds.

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While the Tykes haven’t found any consistency this season, the performances of these three have been impressive when on their game, especially Mowatt.

At the top of the midfield diamond will be star player Cauley Woodrow who has been almost single-handedly winning games for Barnsley this season and is currently their top scorer and talisman in attack.

Up front will remain Jacob Brown and Conor Chaplin who have been a constant thorn in the side of teams they have played in recent months, starting off the press ad stretching defences with smart runs in behind to create space for Woodrow to exploit from deeper.

It is sure to be another tough game for Barnsley but they will know they have the quality and setup to get the better of Cardiff.