Barnsley vs Bristol Rovers Prediction: Tykes can register another clean sheet

Barnsley and Bristol Rovers collide at Oakwell on Saturday (15:00, Sky Sports+) in League 1, with both sides having enjoyed positive starts to the season. They have amassed seven points each from their opening four fixtures and they both tasted victory last weekend.

The Tykes were 3-0 away winners at Crawley Town, while the Pirates defeated Cambridge United 2-0 at home. Read on for my Barnsley vs Bristol Rovers prediction, featuring match odds and team news.

Barnsley vs Bristol Rovers Odds

*Please click on the link above to be taken to the main Barnsley vs Bristol Rovers page on betfred.com (or app) for all the live betting prices on this match.

Barnsley are 4/6 to win this contest, which gives them a theoretical chance of 60%. Bristol Rovers are priced at 100/30, giving them an implied probability of 23.1%. The draw is available at 13/5 (27.8%).

Both teams to score is on offer at 8/11 and over 2.5 goals can be backed at the same odds.

Tykes midfielder Adam Phillips has netted three goals in the league so far, with two of them coming last time out, and he is 15/8 to score anytime on Saturday, and 11/2 to open the scoring.

Football Odds

Team News

Barnsley striker Sam Cosgrove has been absent for the last two matches due to a slight injury problem and he is once again considered a doubt.

Max Watters has been managing without his strike partner in the last two matches and he was on the scoresheet as the Tykes defeated Championship outfit Sheffield United in the second round of the Carabao Cup last week.

Aiden Marsh aided him in the cup tie before being deployed as the lone striker at Crawley on Saturday. Watters will be raring to go again ahead of the visit from the Pirates this weekend.

Midfielders Luca Connell and Phillips are key to Barnsley and both will play important roles once again as the Tykes aim for back-to-back wins in the league for the first time in 2024/25.

Bristol Rovers' two-game winless run and goalless streak ended last week at home to Cambridge, and they will hope to build some momentum at Oakwell. Boss Matt Taylor may think the smart thing to do after last week's performance is let the team be as not to disrupt it.

They have got back to winning ways and every man in last week's XI executed their jobs to perfection so it would make sense to keep the same lineup. Promise Omochere scored both goals last week and he will have gained some much-needed confidence ahead of this trip to last season's play-off semi-finalists.

Barnsley to win to nil @ 2/1 

The home side will be buoyed by their 3-0 win on the road against Crawley Town, who had started the season sharply following promotion from League 2. Tykes boss Darrell Clarke will have been pleased to see his side keep their first league clean sheet of the campaign, and he will be eager to register a first on home soil this weekend.

Barnsley are now unbeaten in their last three matches in the division and they will want to pick up another three points as they aim to be in the promotion picture once again. Bristol Rovers could present a challenge after their win over strugglers Cambridge, but they still have something to prove on their travels.

In six of their last seven trips in League 1, the Pirates have failed to score, and that is a very long barren run whatever the level. Clarke likes his teams to be defensively strong, and so that first clean sheet last time out could prove important.

That is why I think Barnsley to win to nil is worth backing as they will be feeling confident in their unbeaten run, as well as their first shut-out of the term. They will also be aware of Bristol Rovers' struggles on the road, and I think this will be a tough match for Taylor's men to end the rut.

Adam Phillips anytime goalscorer @ 15/8

He was the star man last week with a brace, and he is one of Barnsley's vital men in their quest for promotion, so I think Phillips can get on the scoresheet for a second successive match this weekend.

As a midfielder, he posts good numbers for both goals and assists, having managed 12 and six respectively in 2023/24. The 26-year-old already has three in four League 1 appearances this season, so he is already on track to at least match last year's figures.

He is no stranger to trying his luck from range as he possesses a sweet strike, and we have seen a few beauties from him over the years. If he is given even a yard to get a shot off, he will take it.

Phillips is full of confidence right now and he will relish being back on home soil to put on a show for the supporters, so I think he's worth backing to score again.

Offers

Acca Flex: Place a pre-match 5+ leg Football accumulator and get a CASH bonus up to 100% if all of your selections win or your money back as CASH if one leg lets you down.