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"We are down to the bare bones, but we just have to get on with it. It does give other players a chance, though. We are looking forward to the game.
"There should be a good atmosphere with so many of their fans coming down and I am hoping it is an afternoon our players will relish. I hope they will relax and play but also show the same determination and commitment as Carlisle who are looking to get promoted.
"We are looking to put on a good performance in front of our fans, who have been terrific of late. If we do that there is every chance we can get a good result.
"I am looking forward to seeing our players against the side who are top of the league. Carlisle are there for no other reason than they have been the best team in this league. It is a chance to measure us up againt them and see how far we've come and how far we need to go."
The Stags, whose own play-off ambitions were shattered by two losses last weekend, will be without suspended pair Giles Coke and Danny Reet as well as Jake Buxton, whose season is now finished with a broken foot, and Gareth Jelleyman who has a knee injury.
Reet was sent off at Underhill on Monday for an innocuous looking tackle on the Bees' Nicky Bailey and starts a three-match ban, meaning he will miss the rest of the season. While Coke, who also saw red at Barnet for two yellow cards, will be serving out a one-match suspension.
Mansfield manager Shirtliff was also left frustrated after he was forced to ditch a planned appeal against Reet's controversial sending off. Town had until noon on Tuesday to lodge an appeal but the match video supplied to the stags by hosts Barnet proved to be a blank tape, Shirtliff explaining :
"The FA wouldn't budge on the deadline which gave us three working hours after a Bank Holiday Monday to get things sorted and lodge an appeal which I think is an absolute joke.
"But the FA were very quick to get the suspension faxed over! We have to pay to launch an appeal, and didn't want to do that without having the facts to hand."