Wigan Athletic vs Barnsley Prediction and Betting Tips | 1st January 2026

A beleaguered Barnsley travel to Brick Community Stadium on Thursday to face Wigan Athletic for a clash in the Football League One. The visitors will be hoping to start 2026 on a positive note after a series of losses in their last few games.

Since beating Leyton Orient on 13 December for their eighth loss of the league campaign, the Tykes fell to three successive defeats. Exeter City were the first, inflicting them with a 3-0 loss before Mansfield Town saw them off in a narrow 3-2 defeat. Lincoln City were the latest side to get the better of Barnsley, who lost 2-0 against them at home.

The slump in form has seen them relegated to 15th place in the League One standings with 28 points from 20 games, just four points ahead of the relegation zone. It's a stark contrast to the way their season otherwise started, as Barnsley won five of their opening seven games and had emerged as one of the favorites for promotion.

But fast forward by almost four months, and it feels like a distant memory now with the Tykes currently looking to avoid getting sucked into the relegation zone instead of competing for Championship promotion.

Wigan are down in 12th place with 29 points, but will be buoyed by their last win against Burton. Second-half goals from Harrison Bettoni and Dara Costelloe earned them a comfortable 2-0 victory, only their seventh of the season.

Wigan Athletic vs Barnsley Head-To-Head and Key Numbers

• Wigan Athletic and Barnsley have clashed 21 times in history, with the Latics winning seven times over Barnsley and losing on six occasions.
• Barnsley have lost just one of their last seven clashes to Wigan, 1-0 in November 2024.
• Having drawn 1-1 in their last meeting in March 2025, Wigan and Barnsley could see consecutive stalemates for the first time since 2020.
• The Tykes have lost their last three league games in a row and four of their last five.

Wigan Athletic vs Barnsley Prediction

Barnsley have had Wigan's numbers in recent times, but given the condition they are in right now, it is highly unlikely to see them get one over the Latics here.

The home side should be able to prevail, compounding Barnsley's woes.

Prediction: Wigan Athletic 2-1 Barnsley

Wigan Athletic vs Barnsley Betting Tips

Tip 1 - Result: Wigan Athletic to win

Tip 2 - Goals over/under 2.5: Over 2.5 goals

Tip 3 - Both teams to score: Yes

Edited by Peter P