Wigan Athletic will head to the One Call Stadium for Saturday's FA Cup third-round tie against fellow League One side Mansfield Town.
The Stags are looking to reach the fourth round for the first time since 2007-08, while the visitors are hoping to reach the next stage for the first time since 2021-22.
Match preview
© Imago
Mansfield are looking forward to making their first third-round appearance in three years after successfully negotiating the first two rounds of this season's competition.
The Stags kicked off their cup campaign with a dominant 4-0 away win over non-league Curzon Ashton, before they edged out Stevenage via a 1-0 scoreline in November's clash at the Lamex Stadium.
Nigel Clough's side will carry significant momentum into their third-round fixture after winning four of their previous five matches, including back-to-back victories in their last two matches.
Mansfield recorded a narrow 2-1 home win over Bolton Wanderers, before they repeated that scoreline in last Saturday's away clash against Stockport County, leaving them in ninth place and four points adrift of the League One playoffs.
The Stags will be looking to continue their fine form by beating Wigan for the second time this season after recording a 2-1 victory in October's trip to the DW Stadium.
© Imago
In contrast to their hosts, Wigan will head into the weekend off the back of a couple of poor results against two promotion contenders.
The Latics finished 2024 with a narrow 2-1 away defeat against Wrexham, before they fell to a heavy 3-0 loss in last Saturday's home meeting with Birmingham City.
As a result of those two defeats, Shaun Maloney's side are left sitting in 17th position, with seven points separating them from the bottom four.
Wigan will put their underwhelming league campaign on hold to focus on their FA Cup campaign, with the Latics competing in the third round after claiming an extra-time victory against Carlisle United and Cambridge United.
The visitors are looking to avoid a third consecutive exit at this stage of the competition after losing to Luton Town and Manchester United in the last two third-round ties.
Team News
Mansfield defender Alfie Kilgour could be brought back into the lineup after featuring as a half-time substitute against Stockport.
Louis Reed is also pushing for a recall, with the 27-year-old in contention to feature in the middle of the park with Hiram Boateng and Aaron Lewis.
Experienced forward Lee Gregory is set to make a third consecutive start after scoring in Mansfield's last two matches.
As for the visitors, they are expected to be without Tyrese Francois, Baba Adeeko, Matt Smith, Dion Rankine and Luke Chambers.
January addition Joseph Hungbo came off the bench to make his debut against Birmingham, and he could be given the chance to make his first start for the club in the FA Cup third-round tie.
Forward Will Goodwin could feature in the matchday squad after arriving on loan from Championship side Oxford United.
Mansfield Town possible starting lineup:
Pym; Bowery, Kilgour, Cargill; Hewitt, Boateng, Reed, Lewis, Blake-Tracy; Evans, Gregory
Wigan Athletic possible starting lineup:
Tickle; Sibbick, Kerr, Aimson, Sessegnon; J. Smith, Weir, S.Smith, Aasgard, Hungbo; Taylor
We say: Mansfield Town 2-1 Wigan Athletic
Mansfield will be full of confidence after winning four of their last five matches, and we think that the hosts will continue to build momentum by claiming a narrow victory to get the better of Wigan for the second time this season.
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