Paul Heckingbottom is hoping Barnsley can take advantage of Leeds United's tired legs in his favourite fixture of the season.

Leeds have sold out their allocation of about 5,000 tickets and one of the biggest crowds of the season is expected for the Yorkshire derby which has been moved to a 12.30pm Saturday kick-off as it is being shown live on Sky Sports. 

Previously, when Barnsley have played on a Wednesday then on Saturday against a side that played on Tuesday, Heckingbottom has said the opposition have had an unfair advantage. This time the Reds will have had a day's more rest than their local rivals who will arrive at Oakwell 60 hours after their 4-1 thrashing at Wolves on Wednesday which was an eighth loss in ten games.

The Reds head coach told the Chronicle: "I hope we have an advantage, but it's how we deal with it. The stats are ridiculous about how much an extra day of rest favours a team. You would think there would be something done about that but there never is. Over the season it evens itself out, but sometimes it falls your way like it has for us for this game and hopefully we can take advantage."

Heckingbottom, who grew up in Royston, has always viewed Barnsley's games against Leeds as important. He said: "It has always been my favourite fixture. Growing up where I was from, you were a Barnsley fan or a Leeds fan. When we played on the field behind our house it was Leeds v Barnsley. The Leeds lads were older than us and used to kick us. We were much better than them, they were just big thugs. We had a rule: it if went behind the goal there were no fouls so, if you went back there, you got lumped.

"We hated Leeds and they hated us. The first time I played at Elland Road I saw all of those guys in the crowd. I understand the size of Leeds as a club and the tradition of the club because it was always rammed down my throat by them talking about it. It's a team everybody loves to hate but it's a big club and a big derby for us.

"My phone doesn't go as mad as it used to for these games because people have got used to me ignoring them."

Leeds are currently tenth in the Championship with 26 points, which puts them six points above Barnsley. Despite beginning the season with seven wins and two draws from their first nine matches, Leeds manager Thomas Christiansen was under major pressure after seven losses in eight games, including four in a row.

They gained a vital 2-1 success on Sunday at home to Middlesbrough who are now managed by ex-Barnsley player Garry Monk who left Elland Road in the summer.Leeds were then beaten 4-1 at leaders Wolves on Wednesday, a fifth defeat in their last six away matches which was watched by Heckingbottom.

Barnsley are 17th, six points clear of the relegation zone and nine points off the play-offs, after picking up 20 points from their 17 Championship matches. The Reds' four-match unbeaten run came to an end with a 1-0 loss at home to Cardiff City on Tuesday.

Heckingbottom said: "With the size and history of Leeds, the expectation of their fans is success. They felt they should have been in the play-offs last season and fell short."They are under a bit of pressure this season but form goes out of the window in a derby. They have got good individuals who can create something out of nothing. We know they have match-winners but it is up to us to be strong and stop them on the day.

"The atmosphere no doubt will be unbelievable from both sets of fans. It will be different from Tuesday night when it was dull and quiet and not much of a football spectacle. The fans will need no encouragement to be up for this game. Leeds will probably fill their end and they will be noisy and loud. Every tackle, header and good bit of play will be cheered. 

"I don't think either team will sit back in that atmosphere so I wouldn't be surprised if there were plenty of goals. We like to use the fact that is a big game with a big crowd in front of the cameras to motivate the players and we all enjoy those games."

The two Yorkshire clubs have met each other 56 times in the league, with each winning 20 games. Leeds have won just twice at Oakwell since 1989 while they have lost five of their last six games there. In January this year, the Whites lost 3-2 at Oakwell on Sky with Reds goals from Tom Bradshaw, Ryan Kent and Conor Hourihane. Since then, Heckingbottom's team have won just three of 18 home league matches.

He said: "Leeds might have had some issues with coming here in the past but the manager and most of the players are new. The fans obviously remember because the fans never change."