Rochdale vs Mansfield Match Preview

Rochdale is ranked at19th place with 40 points and comes not in their best shape as they are winless in the last five matches collecting two draws and three losses. They are lucky that there are teams that are doing even worse than them and their distance with the relegation zone is still nine points. Four of the last five games were against teams ranked above them and the best result they could get was a draw against Salford. At home, they are unbeaten in the last five matches but won just once and draw the other four.

They have scored 41 goals so far while conceding 49 and in the last five matches scored just twice. That adds to their poor performances recently and considering they failed to keep a clean sheet in four of the last five encounters another tough challenge expects them.

Losing their best striker Beesley who had netted 9 goals - 2 assists before he left surely was a big blow for the team.

Mansfield, on the other hand, is ranked at 10th place with 56 points and comes after two wins a draw and two losses over the last five matches. It has been a bit shaky recently for them after losing two in a row against direct rivals Tranmere and Port Vale but they still are three games short and in case of a win here they could immediately get back on track.

With 47 goals they have shown a decent offensive side and in the last five matches, they have scored a total of eight goals averaging more than a goal per game while managing to find the back of the net in each duel. On the road, they have been inconsistent as they have won just four out of 16 games but they have got a chance to change things now.

In conclusion, I think Mansfield can win this match or get at least a draw out of it. Despite the negative run in the recent games, they are still a better side than their rivals. Rochdale has suffered since the departure of their key striker and I do not see them winning here even though they play at home ground.