Preview: Mansfield Town vs Newcastle United Under-21s - prediction, team news, lineups

Mansfield Town and Newcastle United Under-21s will both be looking for their first victory in Group F of the Northern section of the EFL Trophy when they lock horns on Wednesday night.

The visitors are bottom of the section, suffering a 6-2 defeat to Huddersfield Town in their opener, while the Stags are third, with their opening match against Harrogate Town ending in a 1-0 loss.

Match preview

Mansfield suffered a surprise 1-0 loss to League Two outfit Harrogate in their Group F opener, and they will now be aiming to post their first win of the section in Wednesday's home fixture with Newcastle Under-21s.

Nigel Clough's side were not in action at the weekend, as their League One contest with Plymouth Argyle was postponed due to international call-ups in the Pilgrims' squad. As a result, the Stags have not been in action since drawing 1-1 with Reading in the league on October 4.

Mansfield have picked up 15 points from their opening 11 matches of the campaign, which has left them 12th in the League One table, six points off the playoff positions.

Clough's team have only actually won one of their last eight matches in all competitions, including a 2-0 defeat to Everton in the EFL Cup at the end of August.

League One is undoubtedly the main focus for Mansfield this season, but they will be aiming to extend their unbeaten run in all competitions to three matches in Wednesday's EFL Trophy fixture.

Newcastle Under-21s, meanwhile, were thumped 6-2 by Huddersfield in their first match of the section, with Robbie Stockdale's side currently down in fourth spot in Group F.

The Magpies will enter this match off the back of a 3-1 victory over Boston United in the National League Cup, but they have found it difficult at the start of the 2025-26 Premier League 2 campaign.

Indeed, Newcastle Under-21s are currently down in 28th spot in the 29-team table, picking up just two points from their first six matches, while they have conceded 17 times.

Stockdale's team were beaten 4-1 at home by Tottenham Hotspur Under-21s in their last league match on October 5, while they have only managed to post one victory in all competitions since August 13.

Mansfield Town EFL Trophy form:

Mansfield Town form (all competitions):

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Newcastle United Under-21s EFL Trophy form:

Newcastle United Under-21s form (all competitions):

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Team News

Mansfield head coach Clough will make changes to the side that took to the field for the first whistle against Reading in the league last time out.

Owen Mason, Ryan Sweeney, Kyle McAdam, Dom Dwyer, Joe Gardner and Max Dickov are among those expected to be introduced into the starting side for this match.

The team could be identical to the one that started against Harrogate in the team's first EFL Trophy game of the season despite the disappointing nature of the result.

Jamie McDonnell, who is on loan from Nottingham Forest, has been in strong form for Mansfield this season, but he is expected to be one of the players to be rested from the first whistle.

As for Newcastle Under-21s, there is expected to be a spot in the final third of the field for Sean Neave, with the 18-year-old netting three times in six appearances this season.

Cathal Heffernan and Charlie McArthur are vital players at the back for the Magpies, and the pair should again be in the XI, while Dylan Charlton could be in line for a more advanced role on Wednesday night.

Mansfield Town possible starting lineup:

Mason; Hewitt, Anderson, Sweeney, McLaughlin; Flanagan, Lewis; Dickov, Gardner, McAdam; Dwyer

Newcastle United Under-21s possible starting lineup:

Thompson; Shahar, Heffernan, McArthur, Murphy; Finneran, Bailey; Harrison, Munda, Charlton; Neave

We say: Mansfield Town 2-1 Newcastle United Under-21s

Newcastle Under-21s are capable of making this a tough game for a Mansfield side that will not be at full strength, but we are still expecting the home side to pick up an important win on Wednesday.

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