Mansfield v Port Vale betting tips: League One spot on the line in Wembley showdown

It promises to be a great occasion at the home of football as we look at some of the odds and talking points to help with our Mansfield v Port Vale betting tips.

Mansfield v Port Vale form

Nigel Clough’s side were in the bottom two in October, but won 11 successive home games from the end of that month to give them a chance of automatic promotion but they missed out on the final day and ended the campaign in the last play-off spot following a 2-2 draw with Forest Green.

Town reached the play-off final with a 3-1 aggregate victory against Northampton who finished three points clear of Mansfield in fourth place.

Goals from Rhys Oates and Jordan Bowery gave Town a 2-1 win in the first leg at Field Mill and Stephen McLaughlin fired in the winner at Sixfields just after the half-hour mark to seal their progress.

📰 In-form forward @Jbowz9 has highlighted the unity within the squad and club ahead of this Saturday’s Sky Bet League Two Play-Off Final at Wembley Stadium against Port Vale.

— Mansfield Town FC (@mansfieldtownfc) May 25, 2022

Clough said: “It took a lot of hard work but I thought it was an incredible effort from the players over the two legs and over the last eight or nine months.

“I thought we were very, very good in denying the opposition too many opportunities – it was properly one of our best defensive performances all season, certainly to keep a clean sheet.

“It all started at the front and I thought Jordan (Bowery) and Lucas (Akins) did their defensive duties and the team was outstanding in all areas.”

📰 Manager Nigel Clough says his squad is in a ‘buoyant’ mood ahead of Saturday’s showdown with Port Vale in the Sky Bet League Two Play-Off Final.

— Mansfield Town FC (@mansfieldtownfc) May 24, 2022

Town have won four and drawn two of their last six matches, with all of those victories coming by under 3.5 match goals which is available at 11/5.

There have also been goals at both ends in three of their last four games, so we go 20/23 on that outcome and it’s 31/20 for at least three goals added to that market.

Port Vale had a much more difficult route to the final, losing 2-1 in the first leg at Swindon before James Wilson, who scored in the first leg, netted the only goal in the return to force extra time which did not yield a winner.

𝙁𝙤𝙘𝙪𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙣 𝙎𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙙𝙖𝙮… pic.twitter.com/lj3wqkGdZd

— Port Vale FC (@OfficialPVFC) May 23, 2022

Vale recovered from 2-0 down to win 6-5 in the penalty shoot-out to book their first play-off final since 1993 when they lost 3-0 to West Brom in the League One version.

Manager Darrell Clarke, who made more than 150 appearances for Mansfield at the start of his career, was sent off during extra time after an altercation with Robins skipper Dion Conroy, and said: “We came out of the traps really quickly, which was important.

“Swindon are a possession-based team and [manager Ben] Garner has got them playing some cracking football. But I thought we created the better chances and deserved to win the game.”

Vale had a patchy end to the regular season, losing three of their last four games, but concluded their campaign with a 1-0 win at promoted Exeter which denied them the title.

Both teams scored 67 goals in the regular season, but Vale’s conversion rate was the best in League Two at 13.1%, taking 82 fewer shots than Mansfield who will need to be on their guard to deny the likes of Wilson and Ben Garrity.

The odds suggest this will be a close encounter as we go 21/10 on a draw or 13/4 with goals thrown into the equation. Both teams are 10/1 to win in extra time or on penalties.

Mansfield v Port Vale head to head

Vale took four points off Mansfield this season, drawing 1-1 at Field Mill and winning the return 3-1 despite conceding the first goal.

The Valiants are 14/1 to win from behind again or both teams to score in the first half, which was the case at Vale Park, is 17/4, while a 1-1 draw at the break is priced at 7/1.

Strangely, Port Vale’s first goal was scored in the 33rd minute in both meetings and they can be backed at 17/2 to net their opener between 31-40 minutes.

In the both teams market, goals at both ends, at least three in the match and either team to win is 2/1 in our Mansfield v Port Vale betting tips.

Mansfield v Port Vale team news

Mansfield are likely to line up in a 4-3-3 formation with 10-goal top scorer Oates spearheading the attack alongside Bowery and Lucas Akins.

Ex-Nottingham Forest and Newcastle defender James Perch will play at centre-back with Oli Hawkins, with former Republic of Ireland international Stephen Quinn playing on the left side of an experienced midfield also comprising Jon-Joe Toole and Kieran Wallace.

🗣️ Frontmen @OatesRhys and @Jbowz9 speak to the local and national media ahead of Saturday's Sky Bet League Two Play-Off Final at Wembley.

🎥 Watch the full news conference now at https://t.co/R18qYuVrmu pic.twitter.com/b0kMojD6ti

— Mansfield Town FC (@mansfieldtownfc) May 25, 2022

Vale, like Mansfield, tend to spread the goals throughout the team, with Garrity and Jamie Proctor leading the way with 12 and Wilson one behind.

Proctor missed the second leg despite receiving a painkilling injection to help with a hip injury, but failed a medical.

Garrity is set to play the 10 role behind Wilson and Proctor in a 3-4-1-2 formation, although on-loan Huddersfield teenager Kian Harratt is waiting in the wings should the latter miss out.

Goalscorer odds

Oates and Bowery are both 11/2 from the Mansfield contingent to break the deadlock and 5/2 to score at any time.

Bowery failed to score in the first three months, but has nine for the season, including the second goal in a 2-2 draw with Forest Green in the last match of the regular season and then against Northampton in the first leg.

Oates also struggled early on, scoring just once in his first 14 games, but he has been scoring consistently if not prolifically since the end of October.

Vale striker Wilson looks the best bet though, having scored the winner at Exeter, in both legs against Swindon and in the 3-1 victory over Mansfield two months ago.

The former Manchester United trainee is 5/1 to get the ball rolling and 9/4 to score, the same odds as Proctor, while Garrity is 15/2 and 16/5 in the two markets to conclude our Mansfield v Port Vale betting tips.

Match Info

Where: Wembley Stadium

When: 16:00, Saturday 29th May

How to watch: Sky Sports

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All odds and markets correct as of date of publication