Preview: Mansfield Town vs. Doncaster Rovers - prediction, team news, lineups

Mansfield are ninth and only two points and two places adrift of Bradford City in the last playoff spot, while Doncaster are three places and two points further back in the League Two table.

Match preview

Nigel Clough will be hoping that this is the year that he finally drags the East Midlanders out of League Two.

The Stags lost the League Two playoff final to Port Vale in May, and will by the end of this season have spent the last 10 years in the division.

Town have dropped in and out of the playoff positions all season, with the side having been in the bottom half until three successive wins over Rochdale, Sutton United and Saturday's opponents Doncaster lifted them into seventh by matchweek seven.

The team then held a top-seven position for two consecutive five-game streaks between matchweeks 12 and 25, with the most recent run being between December 3 and January 1.

One point from two matches against Barrow and Crewe Alexandra has seen the side slip back into ninth place ahead of the weekend's meeting with Donny.

Mansfield could jump three places to sixth with a win over their South Yorkshire visitors on Saturday afternoon.

Town are 16th in the League Two form table, and are hoping to arrest a winless run of three games - Mansfield's last win was a 2-1 success away at Hartlepool United in December.

Danny Schofield has won three and lost two of his first six games in charge of Rovers - a run which, at its peak, had seen Donny climb to eighth place in the League Two table two weeks ago.

Doncaster's charge towards the playoffs was halted last time out, however, as they went down 1-0 away at Leyton Orient, although they could still leapfrog their hosts into the top half with a win on Saturday, depending on other results.

Donny will also be hoping to continue a fine recent record against Saturday's opponents - the South Yorkside side are unbeaten in the last four league meetings with the East Midlanders, winning three of them.

Mansfield Town League Two form:

D

D

W

L

L

D

Doncaster Rovers League Two form:

L

W

L

W

W

L

Team News

Mansfield midfielder George Maris will be serving the first of a three-game suspension on Saturday, after receiving a straight red card against Crewe last weekend.

Jason Law is likely to deputise on the right of the midfield diamond, in place of Maris.

Nigel Clough otherwise has a fully-fit squad to choose from ahead of the game with Rovers on Saturday; Town's eight-goal top scorer Will Swan is pushing for a start, after making a substitute appearance in their last fixture.

Doncaster Rovers will be without winger John Taylor, who is out of the match with an ankle injury.

Danny Schofield will likely continue with the 3-4-3 formation that has served the team well in their recent matches - James Maxwell and Charlie Seaman will be deployed as wing-backs.

George Miller will be hoping to continue his fine league form on Saturday - the striker has scored nine goals and has registered four assists so far in 2022-23.

Mansfield Town possible starting lineup:

Pym; Johnson, Perch, Hewitt, McLaughlin; Law, Wallace, Quinn, Boateng; Swan, Bowery

Doncaster Rovers possible starting lineup:

Mitchell; Knoyle, Anderson, Williams; Seaman, Biggins, Close, Maxwell; Molyneux, Miller, Hurst

We say: Mansfield Town 1-1 Doncaster Rovers

Doncaster Rovers may have fancied their chances of making it four wins in seven against a Mansfield team on a four-game winless run, but a second-successive stalemate for Town would at least keep them ticking over.

Previews by email