Mansfield Town
- Mansfield Town come into the weekend in the middle of the League One table in 12th spot on 32 points from 23 games.
- Recent stats:
- Mansfield have won three, drawn one and lost just one of their last five league games.
- Their home results are particularly good with five wins and two draws from their 11 league matches at Field Mill this season.
- Their recent form includes a 3-0 home win over Bradford City and a 0-0 draw away at Rotherham United.
- Clough sets his team up to be solid and structured in a 3-5-2 formation with his wing-backs pushing forward to get numbers forward while still covering the width of the pitch.
Port Vale
- Port Vale are rooted to the bottom in 24th spot with only 18 points from 23 games.
- Recent stats:
- Port Vale have won one, drawn one and lost three of their last five league matches.
- Port Vale have won two and lost seven of their 12 away League One matches in 2025-26, scoring just eight goals.
- Port Vale boss Jon Brady has just taken the reins and has a good record in English football, but the Valiants' away form remains poor with back-to-back losses.
- Brady might try to make them more aggressive after the more conservative approach of previous management, but it will take time to put his stamp on the team.
- The visitors will line up in a similar system to the Stags, but with more of a defensive edge and less pace in the front line.
- Ben Garrity brings energy and late runs into the game from deep, while Devante Cole is their danger man with six goals in 17 League One appearances this term.
Head-to-Head
- The Valiants have beaten the Stags on each of their two previous meetings in this division this season.
- Port Vale were 2-1 winners in the reverse fixture three months ago.
Key Players
- Rhys Oates is our pick for an anytime goal with six in 13 League One games this term and three of Mansfield’s last seven goals.
- Devante Cole has six goals in 17 League One appearances this term.
- Ben Garrity brings energy and late runs into the game from deep.
Betting Insights
- Mansfield Town are 2.05 favourites to beat Vale, who are 3.45 underdogs here with the draw at 3.4.
- We’ll take the Both Teams To Score bet at 1.77.
Prediction
- The hosts have enough quality and structure to win this game on home soil, despite Port Vale’s recent change in manager.
- There will be a battle of the wing-backs on Saturday and plenty of scope for some good play from set pieces as the two teams will look to create most of their chances from these areas.
- We’ll go with Rhys Oates to get on the scoresheet for the hosts.
