Port Vale and Mansfield Town will do battle on Tuesday at Vale Park in a pivotal game in the race for the playoffs in League Two.
The visitors dropped out of the top seven after a defeat last time out, while their hosts have moved within four points of the playoffs thanks to a victory over Crawley Town.
Match preview
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Port Vale have reignited a playoff push with a victory over Crawley Town at the weekend, after previously seeming to slip out of contention due to a tough spell of form.
The Valiants lost three consecutive league games around the turn of the year, and, while they followed that up with a nine-game unbeaten run, only three of those were victories, meaning Darrell Clarke's men struggled to make up ground at the required rate.
Their position only worsened when a trip to Colchester United resulted in a 1-0 defeat, but they were able to make an instant return to winning ways at the weekend, coming from behind to defeat Crawley 4-1 on home turf as Ben Garrity netted a brace alongside goals from David Worrall and Connor Hall.
As a result of that win, and other sides faltering, Clarke's men have moved back within four points of seventh place, and they will aim to further reduce that gap and leapfrog their ninth-placed opponents with a second straight victory.
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Mansfield, meanwhile, will aim to bounce back from a defeat at the weekend after previously enjoying an eye-catching spell of form, as the Stags established themselves in the fight for the playoffs with a 14-game unbeaten run between late October and the beginning of March.
In that time, Nigel Clough's side earned 10 victories, amassing a tally of 34 points as a result, with eight straight wins being a particular highlight.
However, after back-to-back victories against Bradford City and Exeter City, their hot streak was finally put to an end on Friday, as they faced the tough test of an away trip to promotion-chasing Tranmere Rovers.
While the hosts went ahead on two separate occasions, Matty Longstaff drew the Stags level firstly before Oliver Hawkins looked to have snatched a point with a 91st-minute equaliser, only for Elliott Nevitt to seal a 3-2 win for his side in the dying embers.
That triggered a drop out of the top seven for Clough's men, but with Sutton United only a point ahead, and Mansfield boasting games in hand on every side in the top half, their position could be hugely improved if they can return to winning ways on Tuesday.
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Team News
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Darrell Clarke may opt to deploy an unchanged Port Vale side after a dominant showing at the weekend, with Ben Garrity certain to feature after his brace from midfield.
They have tended to field a back three recently, and, despite scoring an own goal against Crawley, Nathan Smith will again line up alongside Aaron Martin and Connor Hall.
James Wilson and Jamie Proctor are likely to continue leading the attack, although Ryan Edmondson and Kian Harratt are also vying for starts.
Mansfield boast a dangerous front line, and Jamie Murphy, Lucas Akins and Rhys Oates may again be deployed as a trio, with the latter boasting seven goals and five assists in 29 League Two appearances this season and the other two being recent additions.
Midfielder Matty Longstaff has enjoyed a rich vein of form since arriving on loan from Newcastle United in January, and he will continue to play a key role in midfield having found the net in three consecutive games.
Port Vale possible starting lineup:
Stone; Smith, Martin, Hall; Worrall, Garrity, Pett, Charsley, Hussey; Wilson, Proctor
Mansfield Town possible starting lineup:
Bishop; Hewitt, Rawson, Hawkins, McLaughlin; Longstaff, Stirk, Quinn; Akins, Oates, Murphy
We say: Port Vale 1-1 Mansfield Town
In a crucial game in the playoff race, we expect a cagey encounter as both sides look to avoid giving up key chances.
We cannot quite pick a winner and instead opt for a share of the spoils at Vale Park, as the visitors should have enough to leave with a point given their form since the turn of the year.
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 Port Vale win with a probability of 43.66%. A win for Mansfield Town had a probability of 28.73% and a draw had a probability of 27.6%.
The most likely scoreline for a Port Vale win was 1-0 with a probability of 12.67%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.59%) and 2-0 (8.41%). The likeliest Mansfield Town win was 0-1 (9.75%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.94%). The actual scoreline of 3-1 was predicted with a 3.8% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Port Vale would win this match.
