Two of the lowest-ranked teams left in the EFL Cup lock horns with a quarter-final place at stake on Tuesday, as League Two pacesetters Mansfield Town meet League One strugglers Port Vale at Field Mill.
The Stags - who are yet to lose a game this season - sunk Peterborough United on penalties to reach the fourth round for the first time ever, while the visitors edged past Sutton United 2-1 in round three.
Match preview
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Working his magic week in week out in the Mansfield dugout, Nigel Clough has led the Stags on an astonishing 20-game unbeaten run since the end of the 2022-23 campaign, navigating his side's first 19 fixtures of the new term without suffering a single beating.
Granted, the League Two title hopefuls have managed to avoid some of the trickier draws on offer in the EFL Cup, sinking Grimsby Town 2-0 in round one before flaunting their 12-yard prowess in successive penalty-shootout wins over Sheffield Wednesday and Peterborough to break new ground in the competition.
Indeed, the Stags had suffered four consecutive first-round exits before the 2023-24 season commenced, and no matter what transpires on Tuesday evening, Clough's current crop of players have gone further than any of their Mansfield predecessors; third-round eliminations in 1994-95 and 2005-06 represent their previous best runs in the EFL Cup.
Alongside their historic knockout journey, Mansfield possess the only unbeaten record in the 2023-24 League Two campaign and sunk Walsall 2-1 at the weekend for their fourth win on the trot across all tournaments, but a league-high eight draws means that the Stags' remarkable feats are only good enough for fourth place the table.
However, Clough's team are only one point worse off than Wrexham and Notts County - who have both played a game more - and from their 10 contests at Field Mill so far this term, Mansfield have kept clean sheets in six of them.
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In contrast, Port Vale are not complete novices to the last 16 of the EFL Cup, having taken Tottenham Hotspur to extra time at this stage in the 2006-07 campaign before eventually succumbing to the Lilywhites' superiority in a 3-1 beating.
Since also falling short to Scunthorpe United in the 2009-10 third round, a spate of first and second-round eliminations have been blots on the visitors' knockout notebook, but the Valiants are also aiming to earn a slice of club history on Tuesday as they gear up for a first fourth-round clash in 16 years.
Fleetwood Town, Crewe Alexandra and Sutton United have proven no match for Andy Crosby's team in the 2023-24 edition, although all three of Port Vale's successes this season have come at their Vale Park base, and the visitors bow to their fourth-tier hosts when it comes to league exploits this term.
Indeed, Crosby's crop have gleaned just two points from their last eight League One fixtures - a far cry from their splendid summer, when they won five and drew one in six matches between August and September - and Cheltenham Town ran out 2-1 winners at Vale Park on Saturday.
Owing to their blistering start, Port Vale remain clear of danger in 16th place for the moment, and the Valiants possess highly fond memories of their last meeting with Mansfield in May 2022, crushing the 10-man Stags 3-0 in their League Two playoff final, but the form book certainly points towards a dish of revenge being served cold on Tuesday.
Team News
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Mansfield's narrow victory over Walsall was far from the perfect afternoon for Clough, who lost five-goal striker Lucas Akins - who netted a late penalty to force a shootout against Peterborough in round three - to a head injury with half an hour gone, although the 34-year-old tried to convinced medics that he was fine before relenting.
Akins was taken to hospital for further assessment, and Clough will almost certainly avoid risking the veteran marksman for Tuesday's game in a bitter blow to the hosts, who should deploy James Gale in the void alongside Jordan Bowery.
Defender Alfie Kilgour will not play again this season as he recuperates from an Achilles rupture, while Rhys Oates, Stephen Quinn and Elliott Hewitt are also taking up beds in the medical bay.
While Port Vale did not report any new glitches from their loss to Cheltenham, Crosby lost both of Kofi Palmer and Mitchell Clark to serious injuries in their previous beating at the hands of Peterborough, adding to the club's existing injury problems.
Neither Ben Garrity nor Jason Lowe were able to play a part in the weekend's defeat too, leaving Crosby with limited options for rotation as Conor Grant, James Wilson and Alex Iacovitti work their way back from issues too.
On a brighter note, Tom Conlon was able to make the bench last time out, while attacking duo Ryan Loft and Uche Ikpeazu both played a part in the loss to Cheltenham as they work their way back to complete match fitness. Ethan Chislett, meanwhile, is suspended for an accumulation of bookings.
Mansfield Town possible starting lineup:
Pym; Lewis, Brunt, Flint, MacDonald; Reed, Clarke, Maris; Keillor-Dunn; Bowery, Gale
Port Vale possible starting lineup:
Ripley; Smith, Cass, Debrah; Sang, Arblaster, Ojo, Chislett; Devine, Thomas; Ikpeazu
We say: Mansfield Town 2-1 Port Vale
As injuries continue to decimate an out-of-sorts Port Vale squad, Crosby's side - whose run to the last 16 must still be applauded - may very well be on the wrong end of another EFL Cup upset this week.
Mansfield are hardly in tip-top shape when it comes to squad fitness either, but the Stags are showing no sign of slowing down anytime soon and can avenge last year's Wembley beating to enter the quarter-final draw for the first time ever.
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Ben Knapton
