Mansfield Town v Arsenal: Line-ups, stats and preview

Mansfield Town manager Nigel Clough says it is “actually easier” to prepare for the visit of Arsenal than some of the sides his players usually face in the third tier of the EFL.

Having come from behind to knock out fourth-tier teams Accrington Stanley and Harrogate Town in the first two rounds, the Stags shocked Championship side Sheffield United away and again overcame a deficit to win at Premier League strugglers Burnley in the fourth round, setting up their tie with the top-flight leaders.

“We don’t know who they’re going to play,” laughed Clough, expecting Arsenal to field a much-changed line-up.

“But we know that anybody in their 25 who they do play will be at an incredible level. They have some exceptional players.

“We know roughly what their formation will be and [that they] will be incredibly strong at set plays. In terms of open play and what their individual players can do, it’s a little bit harder.

“Our players know the gulf – we’re a bottom-half-of-League-One side playing against the team who are top of the Premier League. Without breaking sweat, they could easily demolish us.”

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta hailed his side’s Premier League victory over Brighton in midweek as “huge” – a win that saw the Gunners extend their lead at the top to seven points.

Arteta’s men remain in the hunt for four trophies this season and the Spanish head coach will be hoping to preserve that fact by avoiding a potential cup upset on Saturday.

Mansfield v Arsenal team news

Mansfield defenders Baily Cargill and Ryan Sweeney have long-term hamstring injuries. Luke Bolton is out with a calf issue the former Manchester City wideman sustained during the 0-0 draw at Rotherham United on Tuesday.

Centre-back William Saliba (ankle), full-back Ben White (muscular) and midfielder Martin Odegaard (knee) are doubts for Arsenal, who are unlikely to risk players during a cup campaign in which head coach Mikel Arteta has rotated his starting line-up.

Kepa Arrizabalaga replaced first-choice goalkeeper David Raya for their 4-1 win at second-tier Portsmouth in the third round and 4-0 home victory over League One strugglers Wigan Athletic in their subsequent tie.

Winger Max Dowman made his return from an ankle injury as an unused substitute for the 1-0 win at Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday but midfielder Mikel Merino is out after foot surgery and full-back Myles Lewis-Skelly is suspended.

Mansfield v Arsenal predicted line-ups

Arsenal starting XI: Kepa Arrizabalaga, Cristhian Mosquera, Marli Ellis Salmon, Gabriel Magalhaes, Riccardo Calafiori, Eberechi Eze, Christian Norgaard, Kai Havertz, Noni Madueke, Gabriel Jesus, Leandro Trossard

Mansfield Town starting XI: Liam Roberts, Kyle Knoyle, Adedeji Oshilaja, Frazer Blake-Tracy, Lucas Akins, Aaron Lewis, Louis Reed, Stephen McLaughlin, Will Evans, Tyler Roberts, Rhys Oates

Where to watch Mansfield v Arsenal: TV channel, live online streams

Kick-off on Saturday is at 12:15 GMT (07:15 ET / 04:15 PT). Live TV coverage in the UK is on TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports Ultimate and the Discovery Plus app.

TNT Sports costs £29.99 a month through Discovery Plus, which includes Eurosport and entertainment and is available on a vast range of devices including smart TVs and gaming consoles.

Eberechi Eze sees everything 🔍

Incredible vision from the Arsenal number 10 to feed Noni Madueke 👏#EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/ksQektlltU

— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) February 18, 2026

Mansfield v Arsenal stats

• These sides have met once before, Arsenal winning 2-0 at home in an FA Cup fourth round tie in January 1929
• Midfielder Louis Reed has three goals across Mansfield’s last two ties, including a spectacular free-kick equaliser at Burnley
• Rhys Oates scored once in each of those matches and is Town’s joint-top scorer in League One (six goals) alongside fellow forward Will Evans
• Mansfield are without a victory in nine league matches (D6 L3) since winning four in a row between December and January as part of a nine-game unbeaten run in all competitions
• Two of those draws have been in their last two matches. Town took the lead twice on the way to sharing four goals with Wimbledon at home on February 28 before their stalemate at Rotherham
• With 14 titles, Arsenal are the most successful team in the FA Cup ahead of Manchester United (13)
• They have reached the final the most times (21) of any side except United (22)
• The Gunners have won three matches in a row following their victory at Brighton in the Premier League and are unbeaten in 10 matches in all competitions (W8 D2)
• Since a 2-1 league defeat at Aston Villa on December 6, Arsenal are undefeated in 12 away matches in all competitions (W9 D3)
• This is the first time Arsenal have gone beyond the fourth round since beating Chelsea 2-1 in the final in Arteta’s first season in charge in 2019/20, losing against opponents from a lower division during that period when they were ousted 1-0 at Nottingham Forest – then a Championship club – in the 2021/22 third round

Mansfield v Arsenal prediction

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