Barnsley will look to end a 17-game wait for a league win over Bolton Wanderers and gain some revenge for last year's play-off loss when they visit in their Boxing Day fixture from 3pm.
The Reds have won one of their last eight games and were thrashed 4-0 at home to Leyton Orient on Saturday.
Bolton are eighth, a point and place above the Reds and with two games in hand. They drew 0-0 at leaders Wycombe on Saturday.
They had won six successive home matches before losing 2–0 to near neighbours Wigan last week.
Head coach Darrell Clarke told the Chronicle: “It should be a special game. Both clubs have got a bit of history against each other. I have no doubt we will sell out our away allocation. We will try to continue our good away form.
“Bolton have a good talented squad and a manager that has had a lot of success there. They have not quite hit the heights so far this season but we have to bear in mind we’re not even halfway through yet. Both teams will look to threaten that top six.”
The Boxing Day game is the first of four in ten days, with a trip to Peterborough on Sunday then home games with Wrexham on January 1 and Crawley on January 4.
Clarke said: “It will be a busy time. It always is at Christmas. Four games in ten days. We will get the recovery, game prep and rest right. The squad will have to be utilised because it’s such a short space of time but we will make sure they are well prepared.”
In May, the Reds, having lost 3–1 at home in the first leg of the play-off semi-final, won 3-2 at Bolton but lost out 5-4 on aggregate to the Trotters who then lost the Wembley final against Oxford.
Barnsley have not won a league meeting with Bolton since a Premier League victory at Oakwell in August 1997.
They drew 1-1 at Bolton last season in the league, with Devante Cole netting, then were 2-0 up at home in March but drew 2-2 after a 98th-minute leveller, which led to a collapse in form at the end of the season.
The Boxing Day game will be the clubs’ fifth meeting in 2024 and the tenth in just over two years.
Bolton have several ex-Reds. John McAtee signed from Luton after netting 15 goals last season on loan to Barnsley, including one against Bolton last year. He has five goals.
Victor Adeboyejo, who scored nine goals in 98 games for Barnsley before leaving in 2022, has four this season for the Trotters.
Defender Gethin Jones, who had a loan spell at Oakwell in 2017, has been back in the side recently after injury.
Barnsley captain Luca Connell came through the Bolton youth system.
The Reds have not lost on Boxing Day for a decade, since a 1-0 defeat to Preston North End.
They have played on that date seven times since, winning four and drawing three. Last year they won 3-2 at Port Vale thanks to a McAtee brace.
