Preview: Mansfield Town vs Arsenal – prediction, team news, lineups
Another FA Cup tie with giant destructive potential takes place at Field Mill on Saturday lunchtime, when underrated Mansfield Town welcome record winners Arsenal to their humble home.
The Stags stunned Premier League strugglers Burnley 2-1 to earn a date with the top flight leaders, who made light work of Portsmouth and Wigan Athletic in their opening two encounters.
Match Preview
From winning FA Cups for fun to suffering a series of early eliminations, Arsenal have belatedly banished a worrying curse in the prestigious competition, reaching the fifth round for the first time since their record 14th triumph in 2019-20.
Portsmouth and Wigan were both no match for Mikel Arteta’s men in the third and fourth rounds, as Arsenal put four goals past the 2008 and 2013 competition winners, extending their hopes of an unprecedented quadruple of trophies in 2025-26.
It is not since the 2012-13 season that Arsenal suffered a fifth-round elimination from the FA Cup – Arteta was part of the Gunners team which lost to Blackburn Rovers that year – and the visitors also have to go back to 1992 for the last time they were knocked out by a team competing in the Third Division or lower.
However, the FA Cup is arguably only a side quest for Arsenal while there are Premier League and Champions League trophies up for grabs, and the Gunners took a big step forward to win the former on Wednesday. 1-0 win at Brighton & Hove Albionon a night when Manchester City failed against Nottingham Forest.
Now sitting even prettier on top of the Premier League table – seven points ahead to be exact – Arsenal head to Field Mill on a 10-game unbeaten run in all tournaments and a sensational 12-game unbeaten streak away from home, their longest such streak since Arteta took charge.
© Sports Mole / Focus Images
The odds are stacked against Mansfield, but that hasn’t stopped the Stags at Turf Moor, where Burnley’s troubled 2025-26 season has reached a new ebb thanks to a fabulous free-kick in the fourth-round clash.
Josh Laurent’s opening goal would seemingly have set Scott Parker’s men on the path to comfortable success, but Rhys Oates’ equalizing header preceded a wonderful dead-ball winner from Louis Reed – not quite Declan Rice against Real Madrid, but extraordinary in its own right.
Mansfield’s resounding success at Burnley saw the Stags end a 51-year absence from the FA Cup fifth round, and Saturday’s game has particularly special connotations for manager Nigel Clough; his father Brian Clough managed his last Nottingham Forest game against Arsenal in 1993, and the current Mansfield boss took part in that 2-0 defeat.
Sentimentality aside, the hosts have failed to build on their unforgettable triumph at Turf Moor, remaining winless in each of their four League One matches since that victory – taking just two points from 12 on offer – and slipping to 16th in the table. Ligue 1 table therefore.
Clough’s men have also failed to score in three of those four matches – most recently playing out a goalless draw against Rotherham United on Tuesday night – but whatever the result on Saturday, fans should just look forward to a first meeting with Arsenal in 97 years; the Gunners won a 1929 FA Cup clash 2-0 in their last meeting.
Mansfield Town’s FA Cup form:
Mansfield Town form (all competitions):
Arsenal FA Cup form:
Arsenal form (all competitions):
Team News
© Iconsport / ActionPlus
Arsenal’s only guaranteed absentee for Saturday at present is Mikel Merino – just months away from a return following foot surgery – but William Saliba (ankle), Martin Odegaard (knee) and Ben White (unspecified) are all on the hit list.
Arteta’s predicament in midfield will also not be helped by the absence of Myles Lewis-Skelly, who has already been booked twice in the FA Cup this season and must therefore serve a one-match suspension this weekend.
With Lewis-Skelly banned, Merino out and Declan Rice having to rest, Bukayo Saka’s midfield experience who worked wonders against Wigan could be an option for the visitors, but the Englishman will surely also be spared for Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League.
As a result, Kai Havertz is expected to take on a more prominent role, supporting Gabriel Jesus, who has recorded a brilliant 20 goals in 19 cup games against non-Premier League sides.
Meanwhile, Mansfield will have to host Arsenal without captain Ryan Sweeney, who is out of action with a hamstring problem, and a similar injury could keep fellow defender Baily Cargill out for the rest of the season.
The Stags were also dealt another untimely blow against Rotherham when defender Luke Bolton was withdrawn after just 13 minutes with a calf injury, and his participation in Saturday’s historic match is in doubt.
Possible Mansfield Town starting line-up:
Roberts; Knoyle, Oshilaja, Blake-Tracy; Akins, Lewis, Reed, McLaughlin; Evans, Roberts; Oates
Possible Arsenal starting lineup:
Kepa; Mosquera, Salmon, Gabriel, Calafiori; Èze, Norgaard, Havertz; Madueke, Jesus, Trossard
We say: Mansfield Town 0-3 Arsenal
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Stags boss Clough admitted Mansfield’s fight for League One survival took priority over Saturday’s visit to Arsenal, who he warned could “demolish” his team if they get on track from the first whistle.
There should be no cricket score or similar embarrassment here, but Arteta’s rotating side will almost certainly qualify for the quarter-finals with minimal difficulty.
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