Wanderers and Barnsley have locked horns 12 times in four seasons since George Johnston joined the Whites - and the defender expects another hard-fought encounter at Oakwell.
Barnsley have made a positive start, winning both of their opening league games against Plymouth and Burton.
Johnston was in the starting XI for the heavy defeat against the Tykes in April and is hungry to "put right" the experience.
“Tough game, especially the way they have started,” he said. “They have got to be full of confidence and I'm guessing their fans will be right behind them after the start.
“It is a tough place to go. I have had good results there and I've had bad results there, so it is one we're looking to put right after the away result there last season.
“We know what to expect. They will know what to expect from us, but hopefully some tweaks in what we can do will help us get a win.”
Johnston experienced the pain of defeat in the play-offs against Barnsley in 2022/23. Bolton got their revenge the following season but the centre-back missed out with a long-term knee injury.
When asked what has made the fixture ‘feisty’ at times, he replied: “I think it is just playing them so much.
“And obviously the two years we got to the play-offs, we faced them in the semi-final twice so there is a little bit of history.
“A lot of their players are still the same players, maybe not us but there are a couple of us that are still here who have played in those games. So it has got a bit more of an edge to it than the usual game, and it’s one we are looking forward to.”
Johnston was left out of the starting line-up at Stockport on the opening day but made the most of his opportunity against Plymouth with a commanding display in the backline.
“I found out [about Stockpot] quite early, maybe a couple of days before, and obviously naturally disappointed,” he recalled.
“The gaffer understood my frustrations because I thought I had a good pre-season. I trained hard every day and put myself in the best position to start that first game of the season.
“But once you've been told you are not starting, he is not going to change his mind so it's about helping the other lads prepare as well as possible, and then making sure I train the best I can to make sure I'm ready for my chance.
“The next week for Plymouth, again, I found out maybe a couple of days before that I was going to be starting, just getting my head on the game and ready to go.”
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