Preview: Mansfield Town vs Macclesfield Town - prediction, team news, lineups

Arriving at One Call Stadium as underdogs, famous giant killers Macclesfield will face League One's Mansfield Town in the FA Cup's first round proper.

The Stags have only been eliminated at this stage in one of the last seven seasons, though the Silkmen are in strong form, despite their lower-division status.

Match preview

Nigel Clough's Mansfield enjoyed their run to the FA Cup's fifth round in 2025-26, and they will be confident of kicking off their campaign in strong fashion this weekend.

That being said, the Stags have endured a mixed season so far, and head into this clash having won two, drawn two and lost one of their last five games.

Most recently, Clough's side were held to a 0-0 draw by relegation-threatened Wigan Athletic on Tuesday, marking the second consecutive match in which they have failed to score, following a 2-0 defeat to Notts County.

Those blanks have left Mansfield sitting 11th in League One with 19 points from 13 games, though a push for promotion is far from impossible, considering they are just three points behind sixth-placed Reading.

A run in the FA Cup could serve as a morale boost for a playoff charge, and supporters will be expecting to see the Stags progress at One Call Stadium, where they have lost just one of their six league outings this term.

Meanwhile, John Rooney's Macclesfield are best known for knocking out then-holders Crystal Palace in the FA Cup's third round last term, but they will need to navigate a pair of tough tests to make it through to face another Premier League club this time around.

This may be the first round proper, but the National League North side have already beaten Redcar Athletic 2-1, Scarborough 2-1 and Anstey Nomads 3-0 to reach this stage.

Those hard-fought victories have only served to bolster the Silkmen's resolve to prove they are more than a mere novelty, and having downed Bedford 3-0 last weekend - their fourth win in six games - the club will be cautiously optimistic.

That latest success marked a second clean sheet in three matches for Rooney's men, who boast the joint-best defensive record in the sixth tier, having conceded just 11 goals in 13 fixtures.

Macclesfield are also pushing for promotion in the National League North, where they are third with 27 points, a tally that has them just two off top-of-the-table South Shields.

However, the visitors remain significant underdogs, even if they have only tasted defeat once on the road across all competitions this season, winning six times and drawing twice.

Mansfield Town form (all competitions):

Macclesfield FA Cup form:

Macclesfield form (all competitions):

Team News

Mansfield will be without centre-back Baily Cargill once again due to a hamstring injury, while Kyle Knoyle was forced off against Wigan through injury.

In their absence, Luke Bolton could start alongside Adedeji Oshilaja and Ryan Sweeney in the Stags' defence, flanked by Nathan Moriah-Welsh and Jordan Bowery.

Further forward, Michael Smith and Rhys Oates could lead the attack, platformed by a midfield featuring Louis Reed, George Maris and Elliott Hewitt.

As for Macclesfield, they are missing left-back Brandon Lee as he recovers from a long-term leg injury that has kept him sidelined since last season's FA Cup second round win over Slough in December 2025.

On Saturday, Cameron Borthwick-Jackson could operate on the left of a four-man defence, next to Tom Wilson, Sam Heathcote and Ammar Dyer.

Mansfield Town possible starting lineup:

Roberts; Bolton, Oshilaka, Sweeney; Reed; Moriah-Welsh, Maris, Hewitt, Bowery; Smith, Oates

Macclesfield Town possible starting lineup:

Dibble; Dyer, T Wilson, Heathcote, Borthwick-Jackson; Ustabasi, Shrimpton, G Wilson, Kay; Duffy, Elliott

We say: Mansfield Town 2-1 Macclesfield

Mansfield may have blanked in their last two matches, but they should have enough to get over the line against a sixth-tier opponent.

Macclesfield are one of the strongest sides in the National League North and could put up a fight, yet it would still come as a surprise to see anything other than a home win on Saturday.

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