Preview: Doncaster Rovers vs Mansfield Town - prediction, team news, lineups

Separated by just one point and one place in the bottom half of the League One table, Doncaster Rovers and Mansfield Town will do battle at the Eco-Power Stadium on Friday.

The two teams have climbed to 15th and 16th spots respectively with upturns in form, putting the visitors six points above the relegation zone and the hosts seven.

Match preview

Doncaster Rovers head into an Easter Weekend double-header aiming to continue their strong run of form in League One and all but guarantee their League One survival.

In their first season back in England's third tier after last term's promotion, Grant McCann's side looked set for a tough fight against the threat of the drop at the half way stage, having sat on just 22 points from 23 matches at the turn of the year.

They have since kicked into gear to move clear of the bottom four, though, picking up eight wins and 28 points from their last 16 attempts including a five-game unbeaten streak heading into the weekend.

The last two of those matches have each ended in 1-0 victories for the South Yorkshire side, who first saw off Barnsley before hosting basement side Port Vale last Tuesday and taking another three-point haul as Eli Campbell's first-half own goal made the only difference between the sides.

Now sitting 15th thanks to their improvement, leading the bottom four by seven points with seven games left to play, Doncaster Rovers head into the Easter Weekend looking to continue their hot streak and move away from the threat of the drop for good with the chance to also crack the top half.

They face a tough test, though, with the visitors having also strengthened their own survival hopes majorly in recent weeks.

Mansfield Town looked all but set for a mid-table League one finish this term, but a nine-game winless run between late January and early March, albeit including six draws, saw them sat on 41 points from 33 matches and in danger of dropping into the bottom four.

That rut culminated in consecutive draws, which have since formed the start of a six-game unbeaten streak, as the Stags went on to beat Reading and play out creditable draws against Barnsley and Bradford City.

Strugglers Northampton Town then visited the One Call Stadium last time out, and Nigel Clough's side picked up a crucial 4-1 victory, as Will Evans and Lucas Akins each netted braces.

Now boasting a six-point lead over 21st-placed Exeter City with three games in hand and nine left to play, Mansfield Town will bid to leapfrog their hosts and take a major step towards guaranteeing their safety with an away win on Friday.

Doncaster Rovers League One form:

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Mansfield Town League One form:

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Mansfield Town form (all competitions):

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Team News

Doncaster Rovers continue to contend with several injury issues on their return from the international break, with Sean Grehan, Tom Nixon, Luke Molyneux, Billy Sharp and Francis Okoronkwo all likely to remain confined to the treatment room.

They may be unchanged from the league win over Port Vale last time out, with Brandon Hanlan having led the line with support from Jordan Gibson, Hakeeb Adelakun and Elliot Lee.

Owen Bailey has been their star man this term, notching up 12 goals and four assists in League One from midfield.

Mansfield Town are unable to call on Baily Cargill, George Maris and Luke Bolton through injuries, while midfielder Louis Reed and attacker Tyler Roberts may also remain sidelined.

Evans will continue to lead the attack, having moved onto eight league goals for the season with his brace last time out, while Akins is another danger man on the right-hand side should he be ready to feature after returning from international duty with Grenada.

Doncaster Rovers possible starting lineup:

Lo-Tutala; Sterry, Byrne, Pearson, Senior; Gotts; Gibson, Bailey, Lee, Adelakun; Hanlan

Mansfield Town possible starting lineup:

Roberts; Hewitt, Oshilaja, Sweeney; Akins, Russell, Abbott, McLaughlin; Hendry; Evans, Oates

We say: Doncaster Rovers 1-1 Mansfield Town

With both sides in fine form and full of confidence, we anticipate a hard-fought encounter on Friday and see a share of the points as the most likely outcome.

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