Paul Heckingbottom is expecting another physical encounter tomorrow against Neil Warnock's Cardiff City when he will be without suspending midfield star Joe Williams but is likely to have his captain Angus MacDonald available.
Cardiff came to Oakwell in April and played out a 0-0 draw in which they used a physical style. Heckingbottom told the Chronicle: "I would expect another tough physical test because they will do everything they can to win. That was one of my more frustrating games because we did well and we should have won but Cardiff came with a gameplan and got what they wanted. Neil will be wanting three points this time and won't be fussed how he gets it. Our players who played in that game will be wary of that but there aren't many of them left and the new boys will have to be prepared for it."
Cardiff are currently third in the Championship while they have the best defensive record in the division having only let in 13 goals in their 17 matches so far. Heckingbottom said: "They are third on merit, which is not a surprise because they were getting better and better after Neil came in last season. The challenge now for them is to stay there. They have been really strong defensively. We’re going to have to defend our box really, really well because they have good players. They are definitely stronger than last season because the signings Neil has made have more or less all made a difference."
Reds captain MacDonald had to come off with an injured foot in the 1-1 draw at Norwich City on Saturday and, with fellow centre-backs Adam Jackson and Ethan Pinnock also injured, right-back Jason McCarthy replaced him. But the skipper is likely to play against Cardiff, with Heckingbottom saying: "He should be OK. It was a heavy kick on his foot but it’s just bruising so he should be alright."
One player who will definitely miss the midweek match is Williams, who has been playing the holding midfield role in a 4-1-4-1. The 20-year-old Everton loanee has played every minute of the season so far but received his fifth yellow card of the campaign at Norwich.
Heckingbottom said: "Joe has been treading that tightrope for a while now and he’s going to get suspended because he’s competitive and he tries to win every ball. It was only a matter of time. Joe has become really important for us with his performances but also because he’s the only one of that type of player that we have."
Heckingbottom admitted he was considering changing formation from the 4-1-4-1 for most of the season because of Williams' absence. Gary Gardner was back on the bench on Saturday after missing ten weeks with a dead leg while youngster Jared Bird and Cameron McGeehan are other options to replace Williams.
