Nigel Clough says Wanderers are one of the most dangerous teams in League One when they “click” – but hopes that his Mansfield side can keep things tight at the Toughsheet Community Stadium.

The Stags enter the game on the back of a 1-0 win against Stevenage in the FA Cup over the weekend. Prior to that result, they had lost three successive matches by a single goal in the league.

“When you look at the fixtures in League One at the start of the season, we talk about eight or nine ex-Premier League teams and we have got two in four days with Bolton and Huddersfield,” Clough told the club channels.

“Very strong teams, strong squads and big clubs at this level. I think both will be looking to get back out of the league as soon as they can.

“Bolton were very close last year, they have been building for three or four seasons and have got a good squad together.

“We did very well in the Carabao Cup there earlier in the season and hopefully we can put in a similar performance.”

Bolton eventually prevailed on penalties in August after George Thomason’s opener had been cancelled out by Davis Keillor-Dunn.

“I think on their day, them and Birmingham are probably the two teams who can hurt you most in terms of football,” Clough added.

“I just hope they don’t click, it is our job to stop them doing that as we did mostly with the leaders at Wycombe and second at Wrexham.

“We played very well away from home, I don’t think it phases us going to these places after the first three months of the season. We are reasonably confident in our ability to defend and also play a bit or our stuff.”

Mansfield currently sit 10th in the table as they aim to build on last season’s promotion from League Two.

“When you go into a new league, you are trying to get used to it and establish yourselves as a team who belongs. When we have gone to the big teams, we have played well and that is the most important thing,” said Clough.

“We want to keep playing the way we play, we don’t want to change. We have to keep improving certainly, but the principles have got to stay the same.”