The official opening round of the EFL Cup will pit League Two high-flyers, Chesterfield, together with bitter rivals Mansfield Town. As a well-established League One side, the Stags will be looking to progress as the favourites in terms of league calibre. Chesterfield, as promotion favourites, could look to capitalise on a promising campaign opening.
Fans of both outfits have been waiting for almost seven years to see a return of this fixture. A loss would be devastating for both sides considering their history and hatred towards each other.
EFL Cup
Our Three Predictions for Chesterfield vs Mansfield Town
- First Prediction: Chesterfield to win 7/4
- Second Prediction: Chesterfield over 5.5 corner 1/1
- Third Prediction: Under 3.5 goals 7/4
Betting odds are correct at time of writing via MyriadPlay
First Prediction for Chesterfield vs Mansfield Town – Chesterfield to win 7/4
The home side are looking like a promotion hopeful in League Two, with an optimistic first two matches leaving Chesterfield on six points and third in the table. Having not conceded a goal so far, with clean sheets against Barrow and Cheltenham Town exemplifying the strong partnership between Cheyenne Dunkley and Kyle McFadzean, the Spireites could look to dismantle a deflated Mansfield on the back of two narrow losses to Burton Albion and Doncaster Rovers.
Momentum is massively important heading into cup competitions, with an importance of squad quality still being relevant too. Mansfield are operating one league higher than the home side, having been promoted from the fourth tier in 2024. However, as promotion and title candidates, Chesterfield have built an attacking-minded squad that could deploy a similar lineup to their successful, opening league games.
Second Prediction for Chesterfield vs Mansfield Town – Chesterfield over 5.5 corners 1/1
Despite the gap in league quality, the adoption of a more possession-based an front-foot tactic for Chesterfield means that the likelihood will be that the Spireites generate a lot of chances tomorrow in a fiery meeting. Mansfield are a good pressing side, but may rotate somewhat considering their poor start to the league campaign. This will allow whichever amalgamation of talent that Paul Cook deploys to try and force the Stags into conceding corners early on.
Even with rotation in the Chesterfield side, the Spireites still boast some of the best attackers in the fourth tier. Dilan Markanday, Armadno Dobra, Will Grigg, Lee Bonis, Dylan Duffy, Paddy Madden, James Berry – returning from Wycombe Wanderers on a season-long loan, and Ronan Darcy are all potential candidates to line up against Mansfield. Despite just missing out on this bet away at Cheltenham and Barrow, Cook’s side will have all the momentum against a depleted Town opposition.
Third Prediction for Chesterfield vs Mansfield Town – Under 3.5 goals 7/4
Chesterfield have shown some quality outings this season, building off the bat of a tremendous 2024/25 League Two campaign. The Spireites have dominated in both of their opening fixtures and have won in games featuring in under 3.5 goals both times. Cook’s side have shut out both Barrow and Cheltenham, with a clean sheet accommodating all three points. A 1-0 victory was followed by a 2-0 win, and with Mansfield’s two 2-1 losses in the league, both sides have seen this bet land in every game so far this season.
Head-to-head meetings, with the latest being in 2018, have seen under 3.5 goals land in four out of the last five matches. A 2-2 draw in November 2017 has been the only losing punt on this fixture since 2013. Both sides have drastically improved since these encounters and will be focusing on the physicality on the pitch, so the level of goalscoring quality will likely cancel each other out for the most part. With Chesterfield still tipped to get this one over the line within the 90 minutes, Mansfield could lose yet another fixture 2-1.
Best Odds for Chesterfield vs Mansfield Town
| Bookmaker | Chesterfield | Draw | Mansfield Town |
| MyriadPlay | 7/4 | 12/5 | 19/10 |
| Gentleman Jim | 5/4 | 12/5 | 9/5 |
| Betarno | 13/10 | 5/2 | 19/10 |
Full Preview of the Game – Last Results and Head-to-Head
Considering the ferocity and the lack of recent head-to-heads between the two rivals, this match has been highly anticipated and could be a lively showing. Particularly during the 1980s, with the miners’ strike being a huge factor in this footballing and Midlands divide, Chesterfield and Mansfield will both be looking to win this game to progress through the cup and for the sake of their supporters.
Chesterfield have started their League Two campaign off with two wins without conceding. A 1-0, opening day fixture saw the Spireites dominate Barrow, with Markanday scoring a low header from a Duffy cross. Dunkley and McFadzean created a wonderful partnership and translated this performance over to another shut-out against Cheltenham, ultimately triumphing 2-0 away. A scintillating left-hand side of Gordan and Duffy saw both write their names on the scoresheet that matchday.
Mansfield have got off to a slow start, losing 2-1 on the opening weekend thanks to Charlie Webster’s two stunning strikes handing Burton Albion three points. Owen Bailey took the Burton midfielder’s place in the Stags’ nightmares as the makeshift right-back scored twice to hand Town yet another 2-1 loss. Mansfield currently sit 19th in League One, while Chesterfield already occupy an automatic promotion place.
In terms of prior meetings, the last professional game took place about seven years ago. However, Mansfield have won on more occasions than Chesterfield – but only by one victory. Since 2013, Chesterfield have beaten Town once in the Johnstone Paint Trophy, with two draws and two Mansfield wins coming in League Two.
12/08/2025
League Cup
League Cup
Chesterfield Mansfield Town 0 2 17/01/2026
League Two
League Two
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League Two
League Two
MK Dons Chesterfield 2 2 D 01/01/2026
League Two
League Two
Oldham Chesterfield 1 1 D 29/12/2025
League Two
League Two
Chesterfield Cambridge Utd 0 1 L 26/12/2025
League Two
League Two
Chesterfield Notts Co 2 0 W 17/01/2026
League One
League One
Mansfield Port Vale 3 0 W 11/01/2026
FA Cup
FA Cup
Sheffield Utd Mansfield 3 4 W 01/01/2026
League One
League One
Mansfield Bradford City 3 0 W 29/12/2025
League One
League One
Bolton Mansfield 0 1 W 26/12/2025
League One
League One
Barnsley Mansfield 2 3 WConfrontation
Last Results - Chesterfield
Last Results - Mansfield
Where to watch Chesterfield vs Mansfield Town
Where can I watch this opening weekend clash, either on Tv or in-person?
- Location: SMH Group Stadium, Chesterfield
- Date: Tuesday 12th August 2025
- Channel: Available on SkySports+
Probable Lineups for Chesterfield vs Mansfield Town
What sort of lineups can we expect for this opening round of the EFL Cup fixture?
Predicted Chesterfield Lineup:
- Lineup: Z. Hemming, A. Lewis, C. Dunkley, K. McFadzean, V. Daley-Campbell, T. Naylor, R. Stirk, A. Dobra, J. Berry, W. Grigg, D. Markanday
- Manager: Paul Cook
- Injured/Suspended: J. Donacien
Predicted Mansfield Town Lineup:
- Lineup: L. Roberts, B. Cargill, R. Sweeney, S. McLaughlin, K. McAdam, K. Knoyle, L. Reed, J. McDonnell, N. Moriah-Welsh, W. Evans, R. Oates
- Manager: Nigel Clough
- Injured/Suspended: A. Oshilaja, L. Bolton, E. Hewitt, J. Gardner
Media Centre – News about Chesterfield vs Mansfield Town
Chesterfield – Official Twitter Page
Mansfield Town – Official Twitter Page
