Mansfield Town v Birmingham City injury news - as six out and five doubts for League One fixture

Blues head out on the road this Saturday to take on Mansfield Town in what could potentially be a banana skin League One tie.

Birmingham extended their lead at the top of the English third-tier standings to four points with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Bolton Wanderers on Tuesday night. Mansfield may not be so easy to beat, however, as the Stags have lost just two of their 11 outings so far, winning on an impressive seven occasions to soar to fourth in the table.

Blues head into this weekend in a tough moment on the injury front, as up to seven players could be sidelined for Saturday’s clash at Field Mill. The most recent concern is around Emil Hansson after the winger was forced off in the win against Bolton, making the Swede a major doubt.

Jay Stansfield returned to action off the bench midweek but Scott Wright didn’t make the matchday squad despite rejoining training. Captain Krystian Bielik is still a way off as he recovers from the ankle damage sustained in the 1-0 defeat at Charlton Athletic.

Meanwhile, Alfie Chang is yet to get back to full fitness following his serious knee injury, Luke Harris is only in light training, Lee Buchanan has suffered a frustrating new setback and Lukas Jutkiewicz is carrying a knock.

Outs: Krystian Bielik, Alfie Chang, Luke Harris, Lee Buchanan, Lukas Jutkiewicz. Doubts: Emil Hansson, Scott Wright.

Mansfield team news before hosting Birmingham

The situation for Nigel Clough’s side is looking far better than it has in recent seasons, when they’ve had some torrid luck with injuries. Former top scorer Rhys Oates is the only certain absentee as he will be out for at least another month.

A huge boost for Mansfield is the returns of Alfie Kilgour, Aden Flint and George Maris following long-term lay-offs. All three are doubts for a start, however, as they have only just come back into the fold and are lacking match sharpness.

Outs: Rhys Oates. Doubts: Alfie Kilgour, Aden Flight, George Maris.