SWINDON may have played Barnet three times already this season but Paolo Di Canio is expecting them to pose a very different challenge this time.

The two sides have met once before in League Two, where Town triumphed 4-0 at the County Ground before Di Canio’s men beat Barnet 2-1 on aggregate in the two-legged area final of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy.

However, the Bees have made what Di Canio believes is a crucial addition to their side since they last met in February, bringing in striker Ben May from Stevenage in March.

And having watched a number of Barnet’s games in recent days, he is wary of the 6ft1ins forward.

“Ben May is a main target man and McLeod compliments him very well,” said Di Canio.

“It used to be predictable when they had just McLeod as they would deliver a long ball up to him but now they are more unpredictable with May, so they are a different team now.

“It is obvious we are going there to win because we want to take advantage of the game in hand we have and extend the gap between ourselves and the teams behind us.

“It will not be easy, the pitch is famous across the country for being a little downhill on one half and it is forecast to rain.

“Barnet will also give everything because it is one of their last chances to try and move away from the relegation zone.

“We will need all our commitment and desire but the team at the top of the table, which we are, has to be capable to go through like we did at Northampton.”

A win tonight would give Swindon a comfortable cushion at the top of the standings, but achieving that will be easier said than done at Underhill.

Town battled to a 1-1 draw when they were there for the first leg of the JPT area final and Di Canio admitted that, while he prepares his side to win every game they play, a draw tonight would not be disastrous.

“If we draw tonight it will be a good result,” he added. “Yes, we want to win but we have to be strong and if we cannot score like Saturday, which can happen for many reasons, then we have to leave with a point.

“From now, and this is the same for Barnet, any point that we can get will be a point closer to achieving what we want. With eight games, if we get eight points then I will say that we will go up.

“At the beginning, when we were struggling I knew we needed to make risks to go up the table but now every point can be important.”

Di Canio confirmed that he will likely make changes for the game from the side that drew with Bristol Rovers at the weekend.

Paul Benson will likely return to the starting line-up after recovering from a neck injury while Matt Ritchie and Lee Holmes are expected to be fit, despite picking up knocks on Saturday.

However, Di Canio hinted that he may rest some of his key players, with three games in six days coming up.

“Whether we lose or win I always change something because there are many games to play and always I say that the next game is the most important one," he said.

“We need to win and get the points, but we also need to let some players have a rest so they are fresh for the final push.

“There are some games you have to approach differently in a number of ways, so we will change something, for sure.”