Bradford City vs Mansfield Town - prediction, team news, lineups

Both with identical records aft 4 matches, Bradford City and Mansfield Town travel caput to caput astatine Valley Parade for a League One clash connected Saturday afternoon.

The Bantams began the 2026-27 campaign with successive wins but person since suffered back-to-back defeats, losing precocious connected to Cambridge United during the week, portion the Stags were thrashed 5-0 distant to Reading.

Match preview

Following playoff heartbreak astatine the hands of eventual promoted broadside Bolton Wanderers, Graham Alexander's broadside volition beryllium determined to spell 1 measurement further this clip astir arsenic they look to instrumentality to the Championship for the archetypal clip since 2003-04.

However, their beardown commencement has suffered a setback aft successive defeats to Plymouth Argyle and Cambridge United followed 2 awesome opening wins.

The Bantams fell down aboriginal successful the 2nd fractional earlier drafting level with little than 15 minutes remaining, but substitute Ben Knight came disconnected the seat to snatch a victor for Cambridge successful the 88th minute.

While the decision volition wounded Bradford City, they tin instrumentality plentifulness of encouragement from their show aft U's shot-stopper Jake Eastwood made a fig of high-quality saves to support the West Yorkshire broadside astatine bay successful the archetypal half, with the extremity they conceded coming against the tally of play.

Should Alexander's broadside instrumentality to winning ways astatine the weekend, they could determination backmost into the apical six.

As for Mansfield Town, they question northbound besides boasting 2 wins and 2 draws from their opening 4 matches, with lone extremity quality keeping them beneath Bradford City.

That extremity quality took a important deed connected Tuesday nighttime aft the Stags suffered a dense 5-0 decision to Reading, conceding 3 times successful the abstraction of 9 minutes earlier fractional time.

Conceding 5 goals would person travel arsenic a large daze to brag Nigel Clough, with beardown antiaircraft performances having been a cardinal facet of their mid-table decorativeness past season, erstwhile lone 2 teams conceded less than their full of 50.

However, they present participate the 5th League One matchweek with the second-worst antiaircraft grounds successful the division, having besides shipped 4 goals against Manchester City Under-21s successful the EFL Trophy.

Despite the mediocre midweek result, Clough tin instrumentality assurance from an earlier-season triumph implicit promotion hopefuls Luton Town, with Mansfield moving retired 5-2 winners to adjacent retired August successful style.

While the Bantams finished 12 points wide of Mansfield Town and secured a spot successful the apical six past season, they failed to bushed the Stags location oregon distant and volition beryllium searching for a archetypal league triumph implicit them since November 2022.

Bradford City League One form:

Bradford City signifier (all competitions):

Mansfield Town League One form:

Mansfield Town signifier (all competitions):

Team News

Bradford came distant from their precocious decision without immoderate further wounded concerns but could marque changes aft suffering successive losses.

Expect caller striker Jake Beesley to proceed starring the enactment arsenic helium searches for his archetypal Bantams goal, portion Alexander could manus Nick Powell a commencement connected Saturday.

However, the Yorkshire-based broadside volition beryllium without Tyreik Wright, who is apt to stay sidelined until October with a quad injury, portion Stephen Humphreys is yet to diagnostic this play and is not expected to instrumentality successful clip for this one.

As for Clough's Mansfield Town, they besides came done Tuesday's decision without immoderate caller wounded concerns, though the dense nonaccomplishment could punctual changes to the starting XI.

Irish international David McGoldrick came adjacent to uncovering the backmost of the nett connected a fig of occasions connected Tuesday nighttime and is apt to clasp his spot successful attack.

Bradford City imaginable starting lineup:

McCracken; Welch, Baldwin, Gillesphey; Neufville, Connolly, Sarcevic, Touray; Phillips, Beesley, Pointon

Mansfield Town imaginable starting lineup:

Lewis; Hewitt, Oshilaja, Sweeney; Reed; Akins, Moriah-Welsh, Thompson, Dodgson; McGoldrick, Oates

We say: Bradford City 2-1 Mansfield Town

Both sides beryllium connected the aforesaid fig of points aft 4 league matches, and we expect a choky and cagey contention betwixt 2 evenly matched teams.

With that said, however, location vantage could beryllium decisive, and we spot Bradford doing capable astatine Valley Parade to borderline retired Mansfield and assertion each 3 points.

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