Mansfield Town and Exeter City will meet in League Two on Friday evening with both clubs occupying a spot in the top seven of the standings.
The teams have also come through their last eight fixtures without suffering a defeat, upping the stakes ahead of a fixture which could catapult either side into the automatic promotion places.
Match preview
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With just seven points separating second and 10th position, small margins could decide who claims one of the top three spots at the end of the season.
Sitting down in seventh, it may be perceived that Mansfield should only be regarded as outsiders, but Nigel Clough's side have now gone 13 matches without suffering a defeat in League Two.
Given the competitiveness of the division, it is a superb achievement, although they are only making up for their previous inconsistencies and three draws in five games has slowed their momentum.
Last weekend's trip to Bradford City, who had appointed Mark Hughes earlier that week, felt like a pivotal game, but Clough witnessed his team come away with a 2-0 victory at Valley Parade.
Having had to remain patient for an opportunity, Newcastle United loanee Matty Longstaff netted his first goal of the campaign in that game on what was his third appearance.
At a time when Mansfield remain the form team in the division, Exeter have also put together what has the potential to be a season-defining unbeaten streak.
Matt Taylor's team have recorded six wins and three defeats from nine games, leaving the club just three points adrift of second spot with three games in hand.
Having come from 3-1 behind to beat Harrogate Town in a seven-goal thriller, the Grecians collected a 1-1 draw at resurgent Bristol Rovers last time out.
Jevani Brown was the star man throughout February, contributing five of his 13 goals and assists for the season during a five-match period.
Ahead of their visit to Field Mill, Exeter have put together a five-match undefeated streak on their travels.
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Team News
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Oliver Hawkins is back in contention for Mansfield after serving a two-match ban, but there is no guarantee that the versatile player will come back into the team.
Barring any injury issues, Clough may be prepared to stick with the same players which impressed at Bradford, keeping Longstaff in an unfamiliar wide-right position.
However, Jordan Bowery could return in that position, which would allow the midfielder to return to a central three.
Jonathan Grounds is expected to come into the Exeter defence after Cheick Diabate was stretchered off against Bristol Rovers last time out.
Taylor could stick with the rest of the team who started the meeting at Bristol Rovers.
Mansfield Town possible starting lineup:
Bishop; Akins, Rawson, Hewitt, McLaughlin; Maris, Stirk, Quinn; Longstaff, Oates, Murphy
Exeter City possible starting lineup:
Dawson; Sweeney, Stubbs, Grounds; Key, Collins, Dieng, Caprice; Jay; Brown, Nombe
We say: Mansfield Town 2-1 Exeter City
Possessing one of the best away records in the division, Exeter will back themselves to earn at least a point on Friday. However, we cannot ignore Mansfield's own form on familiar territory, leading us to predict a narrow and crucial win in the promotion race.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Mansfield Town win with a probability of 42.65%. A win for Exeter City had a probability of 31.54% and a draw had a probability of 25.8%.
The most likely scoreline for a Mansfield Town win was 1-0 with a probability of 10.12%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.9%) and 2-0 (7.35%). The likeliest Exeter City win was 0-1 (8.45%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.26%). The actual scoreline of 2-1 was predicted with an 8.9% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole correctly predicted a 2-1 win for Mansfield Town in this match and our data analysis correctly predicted the win for Mansfield Town.
