Town striker David McGoldrick can explain his side’s recent run of four games without a win and the fact they have managed just one victory from their last six outings.
He said: "You can put that down to how hard the league is. Every team goes into every game thinking they can win it, no matter where they are in the league.
"It’s a crazy league, as everyone seems to say all the time, but our home form has been good. It has been a real platform for us and a win against Barnsley would do us a power of good.
"We could be in the top eight if we beat them. It’s amazing what one win — or loss — can mean in the Championship.”
Fourteenth-placed Town take on the second-bottom Tykes in front of the Sky Sports cameras tonight and McGoldrick says there is no chance of David Flitcroft’s side being underestimated.
He added: "Barnsley are a good team with some good individual players so we’ve got to be at it if we are going to return to winning ways at Portman Road. We can’t underestimate them or any other side.
"When Yeovil were coming here the main thing the manager was saying to us was ‘Don’t underestimate them’ and we went 1-0 down. He certainly let us know at half-time what he thought about that.
"We had to go out there and grind out a 2-1 win. There’s no easy game and Barnsley are not going to be easy. They drew 1-1 with Sheffield Wednesday, the same as we did, so it’s going to be an even game.”
McGoldrick will see at least one familiar face in the visitors’ side after he and Martin Cranie forged a good friendship in their time together at Southampton.
He said: "Martin was a good friend of mine at Southampton. I got on really well with him and he’s a good player. He broke into the team when he was really young and didn’t really go where he should have done.
"He’s one of the best natural defenders I’ve played with and it’s good to see him playing at Barnsley. He’s the captain and that’s also good to see because he’s a really good player.”