Mansfieldvs.Forest Green

Mansfield are fourth in the table, one point behind third-placed MK Dons in the battle for promotion, while Forest Green are rock bottom of the division, three points from the safety of 22nd position.

Match preview

Mansfield will enter Tuesday's contest off the back of successive losses to Wrexham and Crawley Town, with the latter beating them 4-1 at home on Saturday afternoon, which was certainly a damaging result.

The Stags have not been victorious since beating Bradford City 5-1 in the middle of March, collecting only one point from their last three matches, which has seen them drop out of the automatic promotion spots.

Mansfield are currently fourth, boasting a record of 20 wins, 13 draws and eight defeats from 41 matches to collect 73 points, which has left them one point behind third-placed MK Dons, three from second-placed Wrexham and seven from Stockport County at the summit.

Nigel Clough's side have two games in hand on MK Dons, so their destiny is still in their own hands, and the two teams will lock horns next weekend for a huge contest.

Mansfield have the seventh-best home record in League One this season, picking up 37 points from 20 matches, suffering only three defeats in front of their own supporters in 2023-24.

Forest Green have actually performed better on their travels this season, with 20 of their 36 points coming on the road, but there is no getting away from the fact that it has been a tough campaign.

The Green, who were relegated from League One last season, are now facing demotion to the National League, sitting bottom of the League Two table, winning just nine of their 42 league games this term.

Steve Cotterill's side are only three points behind 22nd-placed Sutton United with a game in hand, though, so it is not quite time to hit the panic button.

Forest Green recorded a 3-0 victory over Crewe Alexandra in their last away match on April 1, but they will enter this contest off the back of a 2-0 home defeat to MK Dons.

The league's basement side have lost four of their last five matches, and they now have two tough away fixtures against Mansfield and Wrexham in quick succession, which will be huge tests for the Green.

Mansfield Town League Two form:

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L

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D

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L

Forest Green Rovers League Two form:

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W

L

Team News

Mansfield were without Lewis Brunt against Crawley, with George Williams featuring at right-back, and that could again be the case for the contest on Tuesday night.

Stephen Quinn also came in for Aaron Lewis in midfield, but the latter could return to the XI here, as head coach Clough looks for a winning formula following the 4-1 home loss.

There are unlikely to be wholesale changes, though, with a 4-3-3 formation set to include Lucas Akins in attack, with the 35-year-old scoring 12 times in the league this season.

Forest Green, meanwhile, have no fresh injury concerns from their home defeat to MK Dons.

Christian Doidge has scored three times in the league since his arrival in January, and the 31-year-old is again expected to feature in the final third for the league's basement side.

Head coach Cotterill named an unchanged team against MK Dons after the strong win over Crewe, so there are unlikely to be alterations here, with those who impressed on April 1 likely to retain their spots.

Mansfield Town possible starting lineup:

Pym; Williams, Flint, Hewitt, Bowery; Clarke, Reed, Lewis; Keillor-Dunn, Swan, Akins

Forest Green Rovers possible starting lineup:

Reyes; Inniss, Keogh, Moore-Taylor; Thompson, Osadebe, McCann, Robson; McAllister; Garrick, Doidge

We say: Mansfield Town 2-0 Forest Green Rovers

Mansfield recent form is concerning, especially at this stage of the season, but it is difficult to back against them here considering Forest Green's struggles. The hosts need to triumph for their promotion bid, and we are tipping them to secure all three points against the side at the bottom of the division.

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