Preview: Exeter City vs Mansfield Town - prediction, team news, lineups

Exeter City will welcome Mansfield to St James Park this Saturday as early season action in League One continues.

The Grecians will be looking to secure back-to-back league victories, while the Stags are on the hunt for their first points of the new campaign.

Match preview

Exeter kicked off the new season with a wild mixture of results across League One and the first round of the EFL Cup.

Disappointment from their 1-0 defeat to Doncaster Rovers on the opening day of the season turned into elation just a few days later, when the Grecians thrashed Blackpool 4-1 in front of their home fans.

Rather than build on their impressive victory, Exeter returned to disappointment when Gary Caldwell’s men went crashing out of the EFL Cup owing to a 2-0 loss at Cheltenham Town.

Exeter now return to the home comforts of St James Park as they look to bounce back with a victory over a poor Mansfield side.

Unlike their opponents on Saturday, the Stags have no points to their name in League One following a frustrating start to the campaign.

Back-to-back 2-1 defeats to Burton Albion and Doncaster have left Nigel Clough’s men feeling somewhat deflated in these early stages of the season.

Business did pick up last Tuesday as the Stags powered to a 2-0 win over Chesterfield in order to book their spot in the next round of the EFL Cup.

Moreover, Mansfield picked up the win away from home – something that will fill them with much-needed confidence ahead of their trip to Exeter.

Exeter City League One form:

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Exeter City form (all competitions):

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Mansfield Town League One form:

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Mansfield Town form (all competitions):

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Team News

Exeter head into the match without the injured Pedro Borges, who is still recovering from his knee injury.

To make matters worse, the Grecians could also find themselves without Johnly Yfeko, who has a thigh problem going into the weekend.

Mansfield, on the other hand, will be without Joe Gardner for Saturday’s trip to St James Park.

Rhys Oates and Adedeji Oshilaja are both doubts for the fixture and could give Clough another selection headache.

Exeter City possible starting lineup: Whitworth; Swinkels, Fitzwater, Turns; McMillan, Doyle-Hayes, Cole, Niskanen; Brierley, Aitchison; Wareham

Mansfield Town possible starting lineup: Roberts; Cargill, Sweeney, Hewitt; McAdam, Hendry, McDonnell, Reed, Knoyle; Dwyer, Evans

We say: Exeter City 2-1 Mansfield Town

Mansfield have lost their last two league games by the same scoreline, and we are backing Exeter to make it a hat-trick.

The Grecians proved they are a dangerous force at home when they thrashed Blackpool, and they will be looking for another strong showing against a shaky Stags side.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.