Salford City host Mansfield Town on Monday night in League Two as they look to boost their promotion playoff chances. Mansfield have been in good form lately and with Salford often doing their best work at home, both teams look set to cancel each other out.
Things have not been particularly smooth for Salford City in recent weeks as they have claimed just two wins from their last five matches. They are currently ninth on the table, four points off the top seven and will be desperate for a win to keep alive their playoff hopes.
Salford City head into Monday’s clash off the back of a 2-1 victory at Oldham Athletic in their previous League Two fixture. Matt Smith opened the scoring early in the first half while Brandon Thomas-Asante struck the winner just before the break, after Oldham had drawn level.
Manager Gary Bowyer will be keen to build on that result as Salford City return to the Peninsula Stadium where they have lost just once in their last eight matches. However, there are a few draws in that run, including a 2-2 scoreline with Barrow in their previous home fixture.
Mansfield Town are currently in the playoff mix as they sit fifth on the table with two matches left to play. They have done well enough to fend off the chasing pack in recent weeks and can lock down a playoff place with a win on Monday.
Nigel Clough’s men have won their last two league matches and claimed a 2-0 victory over Stevenage in their previous fixture with George Lapslie and Matthew Longstaff getting the goals.
Although they suffered a 1-0 defeat to Carlisle in their previous away fixture, Mansfield Town have maintained a decent record on their recent travels. They have claimed three wins and a draw from their last six League Two fixtures on the road.
How the bookies view it
The bookies appear to be split on this one with a win for Salford City priced at 18/11 by SBK while William Hill is offering odds of 19/10 for a Mansfield Town victory. A draw is set at odds of 21/10 by SBK.
Head to head
There have been just four previous meetings with Salford City and Mansfield Town with both teams claiming two wins each. Mansfield came from behind to earn a 2-1 victory in the reverse fixture back in December.
Players to watch
Brandon Thomas-Asante often carries the attacking threat for Salford City and has scored 11 League One goals this season. The forward was also on target last time out at Oldham and is priced at 21/10 by Paddy Power to find the net on Monday.
Mansfield Town have shared their goals across the team this season but Oliver Hawkins is often the man tasked with leading the line. The forward has seven League One goals and is priced at 4/1 by Betfred to add to his tally on Monday.
Anything else catch the eye?
Salford City and Mansfield Town are not particularly solid at the back and with their quality going forward, both teams could be backed to score at 4/5 with William Hill. The reverse fixture produced over 2.5 goals which is priced at 21/20 by Coral while over 3.5 goals is valued at 27/11 by SBK.
Both teams have a knack for scoring early and with all the goals in the reverse fixture coming before the break, the first half could be tipped as the highest scoring half at 5/2 with Coral.
This English League Two match between Salford City and Mansfield Town will be played on May 2, 2022 and kick off at 12:30. Check below for our tipsters best Salford City vs Mansfield Town prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
