Mansfield Town vs Reading preview: Injury news, H2H, League One form
Mansfield Town will welcome Reading to the One Call Stadium on Tuesday as focus swiftly moves back to League One.
Following their FA Cup fifth round exit, Nigel Clough’s side are now looking to bank as many league points as possible between now and the end of the season. Stags are 16th in the table ahead of Tuesday’s fixtures with 41 points on the board, while Reading are up in seventh as they eye a shot at promotion.
The Royals are the Stags’ first opponents of the week before another home match on Saturday sees midtable Barnsley visit the One Call.
Clough has stressed the importance of Mansfield Town securing positive results in these final weeks of the season, as avoiding a relegation battle is now the team’s top priority. Stags are currently five points above the bottom four after their winless run stretched to nine games with their latest 0-0 draw against Rotherham.
Mansfield Town vs Reading injury latest
Stags will be without Ryan Sweeney (hamstring) and Luke Bolton (calf) for the Reading game, while Baily Cargill will also be absent and miss the rest of the season with a hamstring injury. Clough also addressed Tyler Roberts being substituted off against Arsenal after picking up a knock.
"Tyler Roberts got a knock on his calf, that’s why he came off at half-time. We can’t afford too many more injuries but I think they’re in good spirits and in good nick at the moment, as a squad."
In the Reading camp, Leam Richardson is expected to be without star attacker Jack Marriott, who is currently out with a hamstring problem. The Royals boss admitted he has not been given a time frame regarding a potential return but has been informed they will know more ‘by the end of next week’.
Mansfield Town and Reading League One form
Stags haven’t won a League One match since beating Port Vale 3-0 on January 17th. During their last nine league games, they have picked up just six points from a run of six draws and three defeats and found the back of the net only five times.
Reading are unbeaten in their last six appearances and have lost just twice in 2026. A win on Tuesday would move them into the play-off bracket, ahead of Huddersfield Town and Stockport County, who are both not due to play until the weekend.
Mansfield Town vs Reading H2H
Mansfield Town and Reading have only met three times in the last 30 years and the Royals won two out of those three. Their previous meeting this season ended in a 1-1 draw, with Tyler Roberts securing a point at the Select Car Leasing Stadium. Prior to that, Reading won 2-1 and 5-1 during the 2024/25 season.
Throughout the entire history of Stags playing Reading, they have won 11 times, drawn 17 and lost 25.