Struggling Sheffield Wednesday will still pose a big derby threat despite their growing injury list.
That is the view of caretaker boss Paul Harsley who has been thrust into the role following Paul Heckingbottom's departure to Leeds United earlier this week.
The Reds begin the post-Heckingbottom era against his former club, as a player, today with a 12.15pm kick-off at Oakwell.
Wednesday are 17th in the table, four places and six points above Barnsley and one more clear of the relegation zone.
The Owls reached the play-offs in the previous two seasons but they have struggled this season with just seven wins in 30 matches, a tally which is only better than the bottom four.
Both sides are on poor form as Wednesday have won just one of their last 14 Championship matches while the Reds have won one in 16 in all competitions and the last seven Oakwell games have brought three draws, four defeats and only two Barnsley goals.
Asked whether Wednesday injuries help his side, Harsley said: "They have got a large squad and it's going to be difficult.
"Derbies are all hard fought games and they are always going to be. We have watched footage of them and we have got analysts working with us, who we have a great relationship with.
"We have got a good idea of what they are about."
After today's lunchtime derby, Barnsley have ten days without a match before they host Burton Albion on Tuesday, February 20 then visit Birmingham City on Saturday, February 24.
That means the Reds' next three games are all against sides who join them in the bottom third of the Championship table.
Carlos Carvalhal left Hillsborough on Christmas Eve with the Owls 15th and has since taken Swansea City out of the Premier League relegation zone.
He was replaced by Dutchman Jos Luhukay who has had a long managerial career in German football with the likes of Borussia Monchengladbach, Hertha Berlin and Stuttgart.
He has taken them into the last 16 of the FA Cup but is yet to win in the league as three 0-0 draws in his first three Championship matches were followed by a disastrous 3-1 home defeat to lowly Birmingham on Saturday in which two men were sent off and three goals conceded in the first half.
Marco Matias' red card has been rescinded but he has since picked up an injury. Daniel Pudil will be suspended.
The Owls now have 11 first team regulars injured including top-scorer Gary Hooper, his fellow attackers Fernando Forestieri and Steven Fletcher and midfielders Barry Bannan and Kieran Lee.
Regular goalkeeper Kieren Westwood is also injured, meaning they have been playing Joe Wildsmith who played two matches on loan to Barnsley late in the 2014/15 season.
The 22-year-old was involved in a mix-up with defender Frederico Venancio for the opening goal against Birmingham on Saturday then fumbled a simple shot into the net for 2-0.
Another former Barnsley loan player, Jack Hunt, has been a regular for most of the season at right-back.
Former Reds captain Jacob Butterfield has struggled to claim a regular place in the Wednesday midfield since joining on a season-long loan from Derby County, with ex-Barnsley striker Sam Winnall going in the other direction.
Winnall scored the opener in the same fixture last season before sprinting the length of the East Stand in celebration, only for Angus MacDonald to net an injury-time equaliser.
The sides played out another 1-1 draw at Hillsborough this season when Harvey Barnes' impressive long-range strike cancelled out an early opener which saw Adam Reach slip, kick the ball against his standing leg and score.
