Michael Skubala and his players will make the 65-mile round trip this Saturday to take on Mansfield Town at Field Mill, fully intent on gaining a positive result, writes Kyle Fox.
Mansfield are currently in the middle of an unbelievable run in the FA Cup, which has already seen them beat both Sheffield United and Burnley away from home to progress. They now face Arsenal in the fifth round – mirroring the same two Premier League teams that Lincoln also faced consecutively in their 2016/17 FA Cup run.
In the midst of that, they have had alternating spells of poor form and outstanding form. From 8th November through to 20th December, they didn’t win a single game and picked up just one solitary point. Following that, they won four straight League One games and also secured that famous victory away at Bramall Lane in the same period. Since that run ended, they are without a win in six league games, with the only victory during that stretch coming against Burnley in that famous cup tie.
The Stags currently sit 15th and are just five points above the relegation zone, but they have two games in hand on Northampton, who occupy 21st spot in the table. Despite the gap to Huddersfield in sixth being ten points at the moment, a play-off push is still feasible due to Mansfield having two games in hand on the Terriers. Both scenarios are unlikely to become a reality, but they demonstrate the competitiveness of this division and how little separates so many teams.
Mansfield Town Form
Interestingly, regardless of their recent league form, Nigel Clough’s side rank top for fewest goals conceded over the last eight League One games, having shipped only five goals during that time. Looking at a larger sample size, Mansfield have conceded the joint-second lowest number of goals overall, while also ranking sixth for goals conceded per match at just 1.1.
However, they sit 21st for shots on target per match (3.2) and touches in the opposition’s box (566), 16th for xG (36.8) and 20th for big chances (56). They also rank 18th for big chances missed (36). Despite their strong defensive numbers, they have failed to keep a clean sheet in nine of their 15 home matches this campaign.
Lately, the Stags find themselves struggling for league form once more following their streak of five straight wins in all competitions. That run began on Boxing Day when they beat Barnsley at Oakwell 3–2 after trailing by two goals. They then went on to beat Bolton, Bradford and Port Vale without conceding, scoring seven goals across those three fixtures.
Since then, the goals have dried up, and their clinical edge in front of goal has diminished somewhat – with the exception of the Burnley game. Clough’s men were fortunate to gain draws against Plymouth and Wycombe after facing significant pressure and conceding numerous shots while creating very little themselves. However, they perhaps deserved more positive results against Exeter (draw) and especially Peterborough (defeat), where they dominated the fixture. The 1–1 draw against Stevenage appeared a fair result, and Blackpool away was their most recent outing on Tuesday night – a tight game settled by a Niall Ennis winner for the home side.
The possession battle is once again an intriguing one, as Mansfield rank 18th for average possession (45.9%), while Lincoln remain 24th (now 42.5%). Rhys Oates has managed to rediscover some of his previous form this season, registering nine goals and two assists in all competitions from 24 appearances. He will certainly pose a threat on Saturday if fit. Goalkeeper Liam Roberts has also been highly consistent and one of Mansfield’s standout performers this season, at times singlehandedly keeping them in games such as the recent fixtures against Wycombe and Plymouth.
Lincoln produced another exemplary, near-flawless performance on Tuesday night in what was probably the blueprint for how Michael Skubala wants his team to look and feel: complete domination in every phase, combined with unwavering relentlessness. That now makes it a remarkable 15-game unbeaten run.
Team News
For Mansfield, they are short on left-footed defenders suited to their back-three system, with captain Ryan Sweeney and arguably their best defender, Baily Cargill, currently injured. Another defensive option, Jordan Bowery, has been sidelined since late November. He is nearing the end of his recovery, but this weekend’s game is likely to come too soon.
Rhys Oates came off the bench on Tuesday night and took a knock to his ankle. He has been assessed ahead of the game but should be available as their main striking threat.
Freddie Draper was substituted early in the second half and walked off gingerly on Tuesday night, with concerns of a possible hamstring issue. That is still to be confirmed, along with the extent of the injury. It is currently unclear whether he will be available for selection, though it appears more likely that he will not be. Other than that, there are no fresh injury concerns, with Josh Honohan still around a month away from selection and Adam Jackson continuing his rehabilitation.
Mansfield Town Predicted XI
Roberts, Blake-Tracy, Oshilaja, Knoyle, McLaughlin, Akins, Reed, Lewis, Russell, Evans, Oates.
Previous Meetings
These two sides met earlier this season in August in a tightly contested affair. City took the lead after 17 minutes through Sonny Bradley, who stabbed home a James Collins cutback following a set-piece situation. Bradley started the game strongly but was sent off just 14 minutes later after being adjudged to have denied a goalscoring opportunity.
Referee Aaron Bannister was subject to significant criticism from Imps supporters during and after the match due to his overall handling of the fixture, as he issued six yellow cards to Lincoln players and just two to Mansfield players, both of whom were substitutes.
Prior to that, Lincoln completed the double over the Stags last season, scoring seven goals and conceding just one. The Imps are unbeaten in their last six meetings (3W, 3D) with Mansfield since an EFL Trophy fixture in 2018, which the visitors won 2–1 at Sincil Bank.
Prediction
Mansfield 1-1 Lincoln
You must be logged in to post a comment.