Macclesfield vs Mansfield Town Predictions

Last year’s National League champions Macclesfield Town are struggling to come to grips with the step up in quality so far this season. The Silkmen were always likely to take some time to adapt to life in League Two, though their winless start to the campaign will still be an early source of worry for Manager Mark Yates.

Macclesfield lost their first three league fixtures of 2018/19 to Swindon, Grimsby and Oldham respectively, conceding eight goals in the process, though they did manage to find the net three times at the other end.

Their midweek draw at home to Cheltenham Town, which secured them their first point of the season will feel like a watershed moment for the players and the result should reinforce some of the team’s self-belief ahead of the visit of Mansfield this weekend.

One point could have easily been three, had Macclesfield not conceded an 85^th minute equalizer to Cheltenham’s Immanuelson Duku, though a draw is certainly still a step in the right direction for Town.

Tuesday’s contest was the 4^th fixture in succession where Macclesfield failed to grab more than one goal in a game. Mark Yates’ men weren’t exactly prolific on their way to winning the National League last season either. They scored just 67 times in 46 games en-route to the title and it looks as though they have carried their lack of cutting edge with them into League Two.

10^th placed Mansfield Town will be looking to shake off their early season “draw specialists” tag at the Moss Rose Ground on Saturday. Three of the Stag’s four League Two matches so far this term have finished level, the latest of which came on Tuesday in a 1-1 draw at Tranmere Rovers.

Having narrowly missed out on the playoffs last season, Mansfield will be keen to go one better this time around, and draws will need to be turned into wins sooner rather than later.  However, three draws on the spin could easily become four on Saturday.

Mansfield are yet to win on the road in 2018/19 and though Macclesfield have yet to win at home, the point they secured in midweek should galvanise them enough to grab another on Saturday.

Macclesfield lost just three times in total at the Moss Rose Ground in the National League last season and Mark Yates will be relying on their home patch form to keep them up this year.

Macclesfield will be reinvigorated by their result against Cheltenham and their improved performance should give them the impetus to go on and battle their way to another positive result this weekend. With Mansfield yet to really kick into gear, we’re tipping the teams to share the spoils on Saturday.

Macclesfield have yet to keep a clean sheet this season, while Mansfield’s 0-0 draw at Tranmere on Tuesday was the first time they kept their opponents out in four. With both defences regularly breached, we’re predicting goals at both ends this weekend – that makes backing the BTTS option a smart move. That leads us nicely to our correct score prediction of 1-1.