Mansfield Town and Port Vale even separately from each other look like guests at the stage of 1/8 finals of the English League Cup, and to see at such a high stage of the tournament clubs of the Second and First leagues in one match at all expensive. Another thing is that the rivals have passed a rather diligent thorny path to the upcoming meeting. Mansfield Town at the first stage of the League Cup at home confidently dealt with Grimsby, scoring one unanswered goal in each of the halves. In the 1/32 final, Mansfield Town drew 1-1 at Sheffield Wansday, before defeating their opponents in a difficult penalty shoot-out. The second penalty shootout was won at home against Peterborough United and happened after a goal was scored in extra time. In contrast to the opponent, Port Vale only once achieved a result in a series of post-match 11-metre kicks. So at the 1/32 stage of the final, the Braves got past Crewe. Before that match and after it Port Vale beat Fleetwood and Sutton United respectively with a difference of one goal. Bookmakers have identified the home team as the favourites for the upcoming encounter, offering odds of 2.03 on their victory.

Mansfield Town after fifteen rounds of the Second League, the fourth division of England, is in fourth position in the standings. The team scores an average of just under two goals per match and concedes just under one. "Stags" are quite confident, as they have not lost any of the nineteen official matches of the season. Not every one of them has been won, but underestimating the home team is certainly a ruinous practice.

Port Vale has a much more modest performance in the current season. If the opponent approaches a personal meeting with him in a series of four victories, the "braves" lost five of seven matches in the last month. The disappointing statistics allows this club to occupy the sixteenth place in the First League in four points from the departure zone. At the same time in cup matches Port Vale has a completely different look, playing pragmatically and the first three months of the season has not lost a single League Cup and League Trophy meeting. The last time Mansfield and Port Vale met was in May this year in the play-off final for the right to relegation to League One. The guests of the upcoming meeting won with a score of 3-0. We bet that in the next meeting they will not lose at least.