Mansfield Town
- Mansfield are riding high after their FA Cup heroics and cup fever has gripped the town as no Stag has reached the fifth round since 1975.
- The Stags have had a mixed bag of results in all competitions of late, drawing their last four league games, losing to Peterborough and beating Burnley 2 - 1 away in the cup.
- Nigel Clough’s men are solid in defence, organised and create chances from set-pieces.
- Clough’s side have been resilient, but not converted draws into wins enough to push for promotion.
- They are expected to be fired up and confident after their cup win.
- They can hurt Lincoln on counter attacks and are more than capable of frustrating the Imps until the right moment to strike.
Lincoln City
- The Imps have gone from strength to strength since Michael Skubala took over at Sincil Bank and have earned plaudits for his progressive brand of high-tempo, transition-based soccer.
- Lincoln are unbeaten in their last six in all competitions, winning four and drawing two, and they have scored 12 goals in their last five.
- In the last round they hammered Plymouth 4 - 1 away and then took care of Bradford 3 - 0 at home.
- Reeco Hackett-Fairchild is Lincoln’s top scorer and he scored a brace at Home Park, but Skubala has a number of other potential goal threats, including Freddie Draper, who has been in hot form through January and February, linking the play and scoring goals.
Head-to-Head
- Mansfield Town are mid-table in League One (11th - 13th on 38 - 40 points from 27 - 29 matches), while Lincoln are 2nd in League One with 58+ points from around 30 matches.
- Lincoln have won their last two meetings with Mansfield Town 4 - 1 (home) and 3 - 0 (away) in League One.
Key Players
- Reeco Hackett-Fairchild is Lincoln’s top scorer and he scored a brace at Home Park, but Skubala has a number of other potential goal threats, including Freddie Draper, who has been in hot form through January and February, linking the play and scoring goals.
- Mansfield have a creative spark in Nathan Moriah-Welsh, who contributed a late equaliser against Lincoln earlier this season.
- Jack Moylan also looks a smart anytime goalscorer pick after putting together a great run of goals and assists from midfield, set-pieces and open play.
- Louis Reed, Mansfield’s set-piece specialist and captain, scored the winning free-kick at Burnley and has proven to be their cool leader in the big moments.
Betting Insights
Lincoln City’s form, superior head-to-head record against Mansfield Town, firepower and momentum suggest they will win the game as bookmakers' odds makers favor them at 2.0 to take all three points, with Mansfield 3.7 and the draw 3.3 .
Prediction
- Main pick: 'Both Teams to Score - yes' at 1.95 because Lincoln will have to work for their victory against a solid Stags side, while Mansfield are desperate for three points to consolidate their mid-table position.
- Alternative: A repeat of the 1 - 1 draw in the reverse fixture, where Lincoln played the majority of the game with ten men after Sonny Bradley’s first-half red card, is a tempting option in the correct score market.
