A place in the FA Cup fifth round is on the line at Turf Moor on Saturday afternoon, with Burnley welcoming Mansfield Town in a tie that pairs top-flight urgency with lower-league ambition and the particular edge that comes with a one-off knockout test. Kick-off is set for 3:00pm today, and while the hosts arrive as favourites on paper, the narrative around both sides is shaped less by status and more by the momentum — and emotion — carried from their most recent outings.
The clearest boost in the build-up comes from what happened at Selhurst Park on 11 February, when a dramatic 3–2 comeback victory over Crystal Palace ended a long Premier League winless sequence and offered a timely reminder that confidence can turn quickly. Two goals down after Jørgen Strand Larsen struck twice for the home side, the response was immediate: Hannibal Mejbri and Anthony hauled the score level before a Joachim Andersen own goal completed the turnaround in a frantic first-half spell, with the second half then becoming a test of concentration and game management that Burnley managed to pass.
That result landed only four days after a disappointing 2–0 home defeat to West Ham, where goals from Crysencio Summerville and Valentín “Taty” Castellanos left the Clarets searching for answers and dealing with mounting pressure. The contrast between those two matches matters for this cup tie: the swing from frustration to relief is exactly the kind of psychological reset that can sharpen focus in knockout football, particularly in front of a home crowd that has recently lived through some tense afternoons.
Mansfield arrive with their own emotional pivot. A nine-match unbeaten run in all competitions was ended on 10 February when Peterborough United left One Call Stadium with a 2–1 victory, a game that was tight enough to be decided by details rather than dominance. The Stags’ response in that match still carried positives — the organisation remained, and the contest stayed within reach — but the defeat will have stung precisely because it snapped a stretch that had built real belief and rhythm.
Fitness and availability add another layer to how both managers approach selection. Burnley’s injury list has been notable for some time, with Josh Cullen ruled out long term due to an ACL injury, while Connor Roberts, Jordan Beyer and Mike Trésor are all listed as sidelined, and Zeki Amdouni also remains unavailable. Those absences can influence not just the XI but the way the game is managed, particularly in defensive areas and down the flanks, where continuity often matters most. Mansfield have clear confirmed misses too, with defenders Ryan Sweeney and Baily Cargill set to miss the trip through injury, while George Abbott is in contention to feature after making his debut in the midweek defeat to Peterborough.
As for who arrives in form, Burnley’s latest league win inevitably shines a light on the individuals who drove it — Hannibal’s energy and willingness to play on the front foot helped change the tone at Palace, and Anthony’s contribution in that decisive spell underlined a capacity to affect matches quickly when space opens up. Mansfield’s attacking hopes lean heavily on proven outputs from Will Evans and Rhys Oates, the two leading scorers in the squad’s league campaign, with Evans at the top of the charts and Oates close behind, giving the visitors a clear route to making this uncomfortable if chances fall their way.
All of this points toward a tie that could be defined by tempo and mindset as much as tactics. If Burnley carry the belief and intensity shown at Selhurst Park into the opening stages, the aim will be to establish control early and prevent the occasion from becoming a platform for an underdog surge. Mansfield’s path is equally straightforward: keep structure, stay alive through the first wave, and let the match become a sequence of moments — set pieces, second balls and transitions — where the pressure sits with the team expected to progress. With no margin for error and a fifth-round place at stake, it has the ingredients of an afternoon where composure, not reputation, ends up being the difference.
