Sports Mole previews Saturday’s League One clash between Mansfield Town and Stevenage, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Mansfield Town will be bidding to make it six League One victories in a row when they continue their campaign with a home fixture against Stevenage on Saturday afternoon.
Nigel Clough‘s side have made an excellent start to the 2024-25 season, sitting up in third spot in the League One table, while Stevenage are 13th, boasting 14 points from their first 10 games of the season.
Match preview
© Imago
Mansfield earned promotion from League Two last season, finishing third in the fourth tier, and they look equipped to potentially challenge for a spot in the Championship next term due to their early-season form.
Indeed, a record of six wins, two draws and one defeat from nine matches has brought them 20 points, which is enough for third spot in the division, only two points behind the leaders Birmingham City.
Clough’s side are currently on a run of five straight league wins, including 2-0 successes over Northampton Town, Crawley Town and Blackpool in their last three matches.
Mansfield have never played in the Championship, so it would be some story if they could earn promotion this season, and their home form could be crucial, with 11 points picked up from their five matches in front of their own fans thus far.
The Stags are unbeaten in their last seven matches against Stevenage, including a 1-0 victory when the two teams last locked horns in League Two back in April 2023.
© Imago
Stevenage, meanwhile, finished ninth in League One last season after earning promotion from League Two, ending the campaign only five points outside of the playoff positions.
The Boro have a record of four wins, two draws and four defeats from their 10 league matches this season, which has left them in 13th spot in the division on 14 points.
Alex Revell‘s side actually have the joint-third best defensive record in the division this term, having only conceded seven times, but they have only managed eight goals down the other end, which is the joint-second worst attacking record.
Stevenage will enter this match off the back of successive defeats to Peterborough United, losing 2-1 to Darren Ferguson‘s side in the league on October 5 before suffering a 2-0 defeat in the EFL Trophy three days later.
Mansfield Town League One form:
Mansfield Town form (all competitions):
Stevenage League One form:
Stevenage form (all competitions):
Team News
© Imago
Mansfield head coach Clough could decide to name the same side that took to the field for the first whistle against Blackpool last time out, with Will Evans continuing in the final third of the field.
Evans has scored four times in nine league appearances this season, and he is once again expected to be joined in the attacking positions by Ben Waine and Hiram Boateng.
Jordan Bowery should continue in a back three for the high-flying hosts, while 38-year-old Stephen Quinn is expected to again be in the starting side for Clough’s team.
As for Stevenage, Lewis Freestone is expected to be introduced into the starting side on Saturday, with Nathan Thompson likely to miss out with the issue that forced him off the field against Peterborough in the league.
Head coach Revell made a number of changes to his side for the EFL Trophy fixture with Peterborough, but it will be a more familiar side here, with Jake Young likely to lead the line.
There should also be a return in a wide area for 30-year-old Jamie Reid, who is still searching for his first league goal of the campaign.
Mansfield Town possible starting lineup:
Pym; Bowery, Oshilaja, Williams; Hewitt, Reed, Quinn, McLaughlin; Evans, Boateng, Waine
Stevenage possible starting lineup:
Cooper; James-Wildin, Freestone, Piergianni, Butler; L Thompson, King; Roberts, Phillips, Reid; Young
We say: Mansfield Town 1-0 Stevenage
Stevenage are tough to break down, and it would not be a surprise to see a goalless draw on Saturday afternoon. Mansfield are on a roll at the moment, though, and we fancy them to navigate their way to a narrow victory this weekend.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.