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Barnsley and Wigan Athletic will play their first competitive game of the season on Saturday, when they meet at Oakwell in the first round of the EFL Cup.
Both teams reached the third round last campaign and are preparing to kick off the League One term next week with the hosts back under the management of Daniel Stendel.
Read our prediction, preview and betting tips for the game below, and make sure to check out our today's betting tips page for more of our expert predictions.
Barnsley vs. Wigan Athletic key stats
- Only basement team Rotherham United conceded more goals than Barnsley in League One last season (73).
- The last three H2Hs have ended in 1-1 draws.
- Only three sides picked up fewer away points than Wigan Athletic (19) in League One last season.
Barnsley vs. Wigan Athletic preview: Daniel Stendel to start second Barnsley spell with a cup win?
Barnsley vs. Wigan Athletic — Tale of the Tape
| Barnsley | vs | Wigan Athletic |
|---|---|---|
| 15th (2025-26 League One) | Position | 16th (2025-26 League One) |
| 59 | Points | 56 |
| 68 | Goals For | 49 |
| 73 | Goals Against | 58 |
| 4 | Clean Sheets | 13 |
| 15th | Home / Away Rank | 20th |
Barnsley will play their first competitive game of the 2026-27 term under returning manager Daniel Stendel on Saturday, having undergone a summer of change after an underwhelming League One campaign.
In their fourth consecutive third-tier term and first full one under Conor Hourihane, they finished 15th, winning 15 and losing 17 of their 46 matches.
While they did excel going forward, scoring 68 goals, the Reds' downfall came in defence, conceding 73 goals and keeping just four clean sheets – four fewer than any other team in the division.
That campaign spelled the end of Hourihane's tenure and saw the return of Stendel, who took charge in pre-season and oversaw a positive run and a busy summer, having seen Adam Phillips, Tennai Watson, Eoghan O'Connell, David McGoldrick and Tennai Watson depart, while Cameron McGeehan, Clayton Taylor, Isaac Smith, Ceran Slicker, Tyrese Noslin, Amani Richards, Makenzie Kirk and Sam Gale have arrived to bolster the ranks.
On the back of a positive pre-season, having beaten Matlock Town, Scarborough Athletic and Lincoln City and finished with a draw against Guiseley, they will now bid to prevail at Oakwell and take a step towards building on last year's run to the third round with a win to start off their second spell under Stendel.
Their visitors, meanwhile, also head into 2026-27 aiming to improve a bottom-half finish in League One under Gary Caldwell.
He returned to the dugout in February and guided the Latics to a 16th-placed finish, ending on 56 points with 14 wins and 18 defeats on the board.
The Lancashire outfit were cost by a lack of clinical finishing, scoring just 49 goals in their 46 games – the fewest of any team outside of League One's bottom three.
On the EFL Cup front, the Latics progressed to the third round with wins over Notts County and Stockport County, before dropping out at the hands of Wycombe Wanderers, and they now come into 2026-27 having seen Sam Tickle, Will Aimson, Jason Kerr, Tyrese Francois and Harrison Bettoni depart and Ryan Trevitt make his loan move with the club permanent alongside the arrivals of Joe Walsh, Sonny Perkins, Max Power, Connor Barrett and Akeel Higgins.
Now on the back of a pre-season which produced a win over AFC Fylde, a draw against Southport and a closing 2-0 loss to Grimsby, Wigan Athletic will hope to get up and running at the weekend in South Yorkshire.
Barnsley vs. Wigan Athletic form guide & betting tips
| Barnsley | vs | Wigan Athletic |
|---|---|---|
LLWWD |
Form | LLWDL |
| 7 | Goals For | 4 |
| 6 | Goals Against | 6 |
N/A |
EFL Cup | N/A |
Whispers predicts: Barnsley 1-0 Wigan Athletic
Daniel Stendel's main objective in the Barnsley dugout should be correcting a dismal defensive record from last year and could shift their focus, while their visitors scored just 49 league goals last season and conceded the fewest outside of the top seven. With the season just getting up and running we anticipate a low-scoring cup tie and tip under 2.5 goals at 21/20 (2.05).
Following the summer departure of key man David McGoldrick after Davis Keillor-Dunn's January exit, more attacking responsibility for Barnsley may fall on winger Reyes Cleary who managed seven goals and 13 assists in League One last season and scored last time out in pre-season. He is priced at 10/3 (4.33) to score anytime.
Wigan Athletic failed to score in seven of their League One away games this term, and with no momentum for their opening game, and the loan of Joe Taylor coming to an end after he hit 11 goals in the second half of 2025-26, we see them struggling in front of goal. Both Teams to Score – No is priced at 6/5 (2.20).
> Under 2.5 goals at 21/20 (2.05) | Likelihood: Possible
> Reyes Cleary to score anytime at 10/3 (4.33) | Likelihood: Possible
> Both Teams to Score – No | Likelihood: Probable