In the race for the playoffs in League One, Mansfield Town are set to host Bolton Wanderers at One Call Stadium on New Year's Day.
The Stags will begin 2025 hoping to take revenge on the visitors, who beat them in the reverse fixture, while the Trotters will be looking to make it back-to-back wins in the league after a dominant victory against Lincoln City last time out.
Match preview
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Nigel Clough's Mansfield are currently 11th in League One, having earned 31 points from their 21 matches so far.
Town are looking for promotion at the first time of asking after rising from League Two last term, and when they beat Darren Ferguson's Peterborough United 3-0 on Boxing Day they moved to within three points of the playoff spots.
However, their dreams of consecutive promotions took a hit on Sunday after their 2-1 defeat on the road to Reading caused the Stags to fall six points behind the Royals, who occupy the last playoff spot in the third tier, and drop three places from eighth.
That loss also ended a three-game unbeaten period that had stabilised Clough's side following a stretch of six matches that featured five losses and just one win between November and December.
In that poor stretch, Mansfield lost 3-1 away to Bolton on December 3, though the Stags had Hiram Boateng sent off when they were winning 1-0 and proceeded to concede a trio of late goals that cost them all three points.
All-in-all, Wednesday's hosts have won just two of their last 10 League One fixtures, and this week they will be hoping to prove that their defeat last time out was a mere blip rather than a regression into the type of form that could see them fall away from the race for promotion in the long-term.
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Meanwhile, Ian Evatt's Bolton are eighth in the table with 34 points from their 21 matches to date, three points behind the playoff spots with a game in hand on Reading.
The Trotters finished 2024 with a 3-0 win over 10-man Lincoln thanks to a brace from Sunderland loanee Jay Matete and Aaron Collins's 10th goal of the season.
After the game, Matete said he was 'buzzing' to have scored his first goals for the club, and came within inches of scoring a hat-trick when his long-range strike hit the woodwork late on.
Notably, Sunday's victory was the visitors' first in the league since their win over Mansfield in early December, and it ended a three-game winless run during which Evatt's side had lost twice and drawn once.
As they push for promotion in 2025, Bolton will be hoping to build on their result last time out and rediscover the early-season form that earned them six wins from their eight league matches between September and October.
Team News
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Mansfield boss Clough mentioned in a post-match interview on Sunday that he will be getting 'fresh legs' on the pitch on New Year's Day, and specifically said that Elliot Hewitt and Baily Cargill were feeling the intensity of the festive period.
On Wednesday, Lee Gregory can be expected to come in for Hewitt on the right, while Cargill may be swapped out for Stephen McLaughlin on the left-hand side of the Stags' defence.
Elsewhere, striker Will Evans, who scored against Reading, has netted three goals in his last two games, and should start up front alongside Lucas Akins once again.
Bolton striker Victor Adeboyejo has not featured in his side's last two matches due to illness, but he could be in the lineup on Wednesday in place of John McAtee.
Right-sided defender Eoin Toal made a return to the XI for the first time since October on Sunday and is likely to start once again this week as he builds fitness, though he may be taken off early by Evatt to avoid being overworked.
Elsewhere, Josh Sheehan, Chris Forino and Kyle Dempsey are nearing a return to action but are not likely to be ready for the trip to Mansfield.
Mansfield Town possible starting lineup:
Pym; Bowery, Oshilaja, McLaughlin; Gregory, Baccus, Reed, Lewis, Blake-Tracy; Akins, Evans
Bolton Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Baxter; Toal, Santos, Johnston; Dacres-Cogley, Matete, Thomason, Schon; Lolos; Collins, Adeboyejo
We say: Mansfield Town 2-1 Bolton Wanderers
Both sides will be looking to make up ground on the playoff spots by taking three points from each other this week, so expect a close-fought contest.
It is difficult to see a huge margin of victory for either team given their mixed form, though Mansfield have won two of their last three and only narrowly lost on Sunday, so they may get the win to start 2025 on a positive note.
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