Mansfield Town host Arsenal in the FA Cup on Saturday, but do Nigel Clough’s side stand a chance against the Premier League leaders?
The magic of the FA Cup is a subjective concept, but it broadly relates to the idea that anyone can beat anyone in the oldest national football competition in the world.
Sixth-tier Macclesfield beating Premier League side and FA Cup holders Crystal Palace in the third round in January was the most recent and arguably most spectacular example of it, and it has allowed others to dream of their own defining moment.
Mansfield Town are a bigger club than Macclesfield, but on Saturday, the League One side with a-not entirely-dissimilar name also have a daunting but exciting FA Cup tie.
The Stags play host to Arsenal in the fifth round, looking to make their own piece of history. It will be the first meeting between Mansfield and Arsenal since January 1929, an FA Cup tie that the Gunners won 2-0.
It is a big achievement for Mansfield to have reached the fifth round, with the club having only done so four times previously, and not since 1974-75 when they lost to Carlisle United. Their best ever performance in the FA Cup was reaching the quarter-finals in 1968-69.
To get to this point, Mansfield edged past Harrogate Town 3-2 in the first round, before needing penalties to win at Accrington. An impressive 4-3 victory at Sheffield United followed in round three, before another brilliant effort to beat Premier League side Burnley 2-1 away from home in the fourth round.
It has set up a fifth-round match against Arsenal and will be the first time Mansfield boss Nigel Clough has faced the Gunners as a manager. His father, Brian Clough, took charge of his last FA Cup match as manager of Nottingham Forest against Arsenal in February 1993 – a game in which Nigel played for Forest.
He might not have reached the heights his dad did in management, but Clough has done an excellent job since arriving at Field Mill in November 2020. The Stags were fighting relegation in League Two at the time, but steady progress over the next three years ultimately led to promotion in 2023-24, taking the club into the third tier for the first time since 2002-03.
Mansfield don’t head into this game in great form, though. Their shock victory at Burnley was the last time they won in any competition.
After beating Port Vale 3-0 on 17 January, Mansfield were in 10th place and just four points off the League One play-offs. However, they haven’t won any of their last nine league games (D6 L3) and now sit 16th, five points above the relegation zone.
So, what kind of team are Mansfield and what can Arsenal expect when they visit on Saturday?
They largely rely on defence more than attack. Only six teams in League One have scored fewer than their 39 goals, but only five have conceded fewer than their 37. It perhaps wasn’t all that surprising, then, that they drew 0-0 with Rotherham United on Tuesday. It was their fourth goalless draw of the season in League One; only Northampton Town (5) have taken part in more.
Goalkeeper Liam Roberts has been an important acquisition for Mansfield. Only three League One keepers have made more than his 90 saves this season.
The former Millwall man will hope to have a better experience in the fifth round of the FA Cup this time, after he was shown a red card for accidentally kicking Jean-Philippe Mateta in the head in the Lions’ loss to Crystal Palace last season when rushing out of his goal. The Frenchman required stitches to his ear and Roberts came in for plenty of criticism, which he later revealed was difficult to deal with. He has excelled in Nottinghamshire, though, and will hope his goalkeeping is the only topic of conversation after this game.
If Clough’s men are able to get the ball into the Arsenal half, Rhys Oates is likely to be the biggest threat. The 31-year-old is in his fifth season at Field Mill and is the club’s top scorer in all competitions this term with nine goals.
Oates is the only Mansfield player to have reached double figures for goal involvements in all comps this term (11 – nine goals, two assists), and he scored in both of the wins over Sheffield United and Burnley.
Louis Reed was also a hero in those famous victories, scoring twice from outside the box against the Blades before a spectacular free-kick winner against the Clarets. The midfielder is hardly a regular scorer, though. His three goals in those two games make up three-quarters of his total for the season (4).
Reed is more reknowned as a battler in midfield. He has won possession 6.6 times per 90 this season, more often than any other League One player (min. 500 minutes played).
In attack, Clough could also turn to striker Will Evans, who has eight goals this season and prior experience facing a Premier League giant in the FA Cup. The Welshman scored for Newport County in their 4-2 defeat to Manchester United in the 2023-24 fourth round.
Midfielder Regan Hendry leads the way for Mansfield in terms of chance creation per 90 (2.0), albeit almost half have come from set-pieces (0.8). The former Tranmere Rovers man did endear himself to Stags fans earlier this season when he scored against Leyton Orient from the halfway line.
Simply SENSATIONAL!#EFL | @mansfieldtownfc pic.twitter.com/PjWUeqlacl
— Sky Bet League One (@SkyBetLeagueOne) August 23, 2025In terms of overall team style, Mansfield are not exactly a high-pressing side; only Peterborough United (154) have made fewer than their 169 high turnovers in League One this season, while only Wigan Athletic (14.1) and Exeter City (13.4) have a higher PPDA (opposition passes per defensive action) than their 13.3. So, if Arsenal fans didn’t already expect to see most of the ball on Saturday, they certainly will now.
Only six League One teams have faster direct speed upfield than Mansfield this season (1.95 m/s), while they are around the middle of the pack for passes per sequence (2.61).
As a comparison, those numbers are relatively similar to Brentford (1.89 m/s and 3.12 PPS), albeit obviously they are not at the same level in terms of overall ability. It’s worth remembering how much Arsenal struggled at Brentford in their recent 1-1 draw at the Gtech Community Stadium, though.
We know what you’re thinking: ‘They’re playing Arsenal, so how are they at defending corners?’
Speaking to BBC Radio Nottingham, Clough said: “We don’t know who they are going to play, but we know roughly what their formation will be and we know that whichever Arsenal team is put out is going to be incredibly strong at set plays, especially corners.
“We can concentrate on those sorts of things. But in terms of the open play and what their individuals can do, it will be bit more difficult to prepare for that.”
Mansfield have conceded four goals from corners in League One this season; only five teams have allowed fewer.
They’ve also only conceded once from a free-kick and haven’t allowed any goals from throw-ins.
One area of concern, though, is penalties. Mansfield have conceded seven goals from the spot this season, more than any other team in the third tier, and that makes up a remarkable 19% of their total goals against in the league. Their eight penalties faced is more than any team in England’s top four divisions, so they could potentially do with taking more care when tackling in the box.
Ultimately, it will be a big ask for Mansfield. They are playing the team top of the Premier League, who are favourites with the Opta supercomputer to win the UEFA Champions League, and who top the current worldwide Opta Power Rankings.
But then, there is the magic of the FA Cup to consider…
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What to Expect From Mansfield Town When They Face Arsenal in the FA Cup Opta Analyst.
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