Mansfield Town and Peterborough United Go Toe-To-Toe For A Place In The Round Of 16 Of The Carabao Cup

One of only four League Two clubs left in the competition, Mansfield Town will look to cause yet another upset as they face Peterborough United in Round Three of the Carabao Cup.

Whilst the Stags are enduring a good start to the season, the Posh have endured a stuttering start to their League One campaign.

After heartbreak in the 2022/23 League One Play-Offs as they were beaten by Sheffield Wednesday 5-3 following a first-leg 4-0 lead that the Owls turned around, Peterborough will look to put the disappointment behind them and reach the Round of 16 of the Carabao Cup for the first time since 2009/10.

Mansfield Town, however, will look to keep their fantastic unbeaten run going and book a place in the next round which could see them face a top-tier giant at last.

Mansfield Town’s Journey To The Third Round Of The Carabao Cup

Round One

In the First Round of the competition, Mansfield Town welcomed fellow League Two side Grimsby Town to the One Call Stadium in their second game of the new campaign.

The Stags took the lead in the 27th minute as they were awarded a spot-kick.

Mariners shot-stopper Harvey Cartwright took a heavy touch inside his own box, and as Rhys Oates looked to pounce on the loose ball, the goalkeeper bundled the forward down and the referee pointed to the spot.

Up stepped Lucas Akins and comfortably slotted the ball into the bottom right-hand corner from 12 yards.

Mansfield Town found a second courtesy of fine skill from Keillor-Dunn. The forward found space outside the area and used fine skill to find Oates who burst into the box to prod beyond Cartwright.

The Stags ran out 2-0 victors and drew Sheffield Wednesday away in the Second Round.

Round Two

Mansfield Town travelled to Hillsborough as the underdogs but with an unbeaten record in all competitions to defeat.

However, the Stags went 1-0 down just before the half-hour mark as the Owls took the lead.

As the Championship side dominated proceedings in the first-half, Callum Paterson’s knockdown found Anthony Musaba who netted the opener.

Nigel Clough’s side turned the screw in the second period and a beautiful team move saw the amber and blues draw level.

Following a passage of playing consisting of over 30 passes, Oates found the ball at his feet and drove forward before rifling an effort into the bottom corner past Cameron Dawson.

In the subsequent penalty shootout, both sides missed their third penalties with Liam Palmer missing Wednesday’s fifth. Ex-Owls and now Stags defender Aden Flint dispatched his spot kick as he put Mansfield Town in the Third Round of the Carabao Cup.

Peterborough United’s Journey To The Third Round Of The Carabao Cup

Round One

The Posh drew a home tie in the First Round of the competition as they faced League Two side Swindon Town at the Weston Homes Stadium.

It didn’t take long for the hosts to take the lead as the home fans had something to cheer about inside the first 10 minutes of the game.

Ricky-Jade Jones found Joel Randall in space as the midfielder fired Peterborough into an early lead.

Three minutes into the second-half, the League Two outfit found the leveller as Rushian Hepburn-Murphy found the back of the net.

The scoreline remained unchanged as the game went into a penalty shootout to decide who would progress into Round Two.

Swindon crumbled under the pressure, missing two out of three of their spot kicks, as the Posh dispatched all four of theirs and advanced to the next round.

Round Two

In Round Two, Peterborough faced Portsmouth away from home as two League One clubs collided.

Once again, similarly to Round One, the Posh took the lead as David Ajiboye opened the scoring in the 29th minute.

However, Christian Saydee levelled the game up at 1-1, and then, Charlie O’Connell was shown a red card just before the hour mark.

The Posh were down to 10 men for the remainder of the second-half but held onto the draw and put themselves in another penalty shootout.

After Ryan de Havilland missed his penalty, Portsmouth had the advantage heading into the final set of penalties.

However, Abu Kamara failed to pounce on the opportunity, and with Joe Morell missing his spot kick, the Posh progressed to the next round after Ajiboye dispatched his penalty from 12 yards.

Form Guide

Mansfield Town are the only side in the EFL to remain unbeaten as they are currently embarking on an 11-game unbeaten run.

With three wins and two draws in their last five league fixtures, the Stags are one of the most in-form sides in League Two behind league leaders Notts County.

Peterborough have been very hit-and-miss so far this term but have only lost once in their last five games in all competitions with Portsmouth taking revenge on their Carabao Cup penalty defeat with a 3-1 win at home in the league.

With 1-1 a scoreline that has featured a lot in the Posh’s season so far, this encounter against the Stags could go down to the wire once again and a penalty shootout may settle things.

Head-To-Head

Since the creation of League Two, Mansfield Town have only beaten Peterborough United once with the Posh taking four wins with one draw played out in December 2005.

The two sides have not faced each other since December 2007 and have played over 50 times against each other since their first game in 1960.

The Posh have double the number of wins that the Stags have, however, the amber and blues will be looking to put another win on the board after their final game between each other ended in Mansfield Town’s favour.

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