League leaders Stockport County take on 2nd place Mansfield Town on New Year’s Day in League Two in what is arguably the most appetising game in the EFL on that day.
Stockport County currently sit top of League Two with fifteen wins, six draws and four losses from twenty-five games this season.
It’s been an excellent campaign from the side from the North West who look well on course for promotion, albeit still at an early stage of the season.
They’re coming into this game out of form by their standards having won only two of their last seven games.
Their most recent game saw them held to a drab 0-0 draw away at Bradford City, a result that confirmed their fourth draw in their last six games.
They’re still unbeaten in those six games, but such an excessive number of draws means it can’t really be considered a good run of form and they come into this one in need of a win.
Luckily for them their home form has been outstanding, with Dave Challinor’s men having gone unbeaten on home soil in the league since losing to Gillingham on the opening day of the season, with eight of their last nine on their own turf also ending in victory.
They will, then, fancy their chances here despite not being in the best form, and a win against the league’s 2nd place side - who’ve also only lost once all season in the league - would surely go some way to helping them get back to their best.
Mansfield Town currently sit 2nd in League Two with twelve wins, ten draws and one loss from twenty-three games this season.
The Stags have had a quite excellent campaign in League Two as they come into this game in the automatic promotion places having registered the fewest losses in the entire division.
Their form of late has been good, as they enter this game unbeaten in their last five league games, winning three of their last four.
Mansfield’s most recent game ended in a 1-1 draw at home to Doncaster Rovers, with Callum Johnson’s goal cancelled out by the visitors in the second half.
It wasn’t a great result for a Mansfield side that would have expected themselves to win this game, but it does at least maintain their impressive run of only one defeat so far.
They’re very strong when playing away from home, with Nigel Clough’s side having won five of their last six league games on the road.
It’s a very competitive year as far as the automatic promotion places are concerned, but Mansfield will consider themselves well equipped to ensure they’re one of the three teams promoted automatically.
A win here would put them to within two points of Stockport with two games in hand, and given how strongly they’ve been going of late they have a decent chance of getting it.
For our Stockport vs. Mansfield prediction, we’re going for a 2-2 draw.
Don’t forget to check out the rest of our previews, tips and offers for this weekend’s action.