Tonight the Dons return to competitive action at stadiummk for the first time since that unforgettable promotion-winning afternoon in May.
Karl Robinson’s side entertain Sky Bet League 2 side Leyton Orient in the first-round of the Capital One Cup this evening, just over 14 weeks since that 5-1 triumph over Yeovil Town which secured a second place finish and a passage into to the Championship.
The men from MK1 began their first ever second-tier campaign this past Saturday and made a dream start, beating Rotherham United 4-1 thanks to strikes from Rob Hall, Dean Bowditch and Carl Baker, as well as an own goal by Millers defender Danny Collins.
Attention tonight, though, is solely on the Capital One Cup – a competition the Dons made history in last season by reaching the Last 16 for the very first time. They also shocked the football world by thrashing Premier League giants Manchester United 4-0 in the second round.
The opposition
Leyton Orient suffered relegation from League 1 in 2014/15 but enjoyed a perfect start to life in the fourth tier by beating Barnet 2-0 at the Matchroom Stadium on the weekend.
Orient are now managed by a former defender of theirs, Ian Hendon and the new boss has had to deal with a number of big-name departures in his first summer in charge – the likes of David Mooney, Romain Vincelot, Nathan Clarke and Andrea Dossena have all left the South East London club since the end of last season.
Still, the ex-West Ham United first-team coach has managed to assemble a squad which will have ambitions of making an immediate return to League 1 – Saturday’s convincing win over Barnet the ideal platform for the O’s to build on.
View from the dugouts
Karl Robinson, speaking to MK Dons PlayerHD: “Hendo has gone in there from West Ham, having worked under Sam (Allardyce). He’ll want to get off to very strong footing and after winning against Barnet on Saturday, to come here and beat us would be a tremendous start for them.
“The most important thing for us this year is the league but we want a cup run as well. We’ll make a number of changes but the final implications of a good cup run can have a big impact on what you’re trying to do.”
“I think it will be a great game to come and watch, with some exciting players on show. It will be a very offensive game by both teams and I’m excited by it.”
Team news
Robinson has confirmed he will make eight changes to his starting line-up.
Matthew Upson, Sergio Aguza and Cristian Benavente will make their Dons debuts, while the likes of Cody Cropper, Joe Walsh, Lee Hodson, Simon Church, Carl Baker and Daniel Powell will all be pushing for starts.
Mark Randall (pelvis) remains sidelined with Darren Potter, Antony Kay, Rob Hall and Samir Carruthers also expected to miss out after picking up knocks on Saturday.
Orient, meanwhile, may hand full debuts to Alan Dunne, Ollie Palmer and Blair Turgott after the trio came off the bench in the weekend win over Barnet.
Winger Jobi McAnuff could also come into the squad after returning to training following his time away with Jamaica at the Gold Cup.
Betting
Sky Bet
To win the tie:
Dons – 2/7
Leyton Orient – 5/2
Method of victory:
Either team in extra time – 7/1
Either team on penalties – 13/2
First goalscorer:
Simon Church – 9/2
Sam Gallagher – 9/2
Carl Baker – 13/2
Paul McCallum – 17/2
Jay Simpson – 9/1
Cristian Benavente – 9/1
Scorecast:
Sergio Aguza to score first and the Dons to win 3-0 – 85/1
*All odds correct at the time of writing
Click here for odds on all Sky Bet Championship outright markets - don't forget the Dons benefit every time you win with Sky Bet!
The men from MK1 began their first ever second-tier campaign this past Saturday and made a dream start, beating Rotherham United 4-1 thanks to strikes from Rob Hall, Dean Bowditch and Carl Baker, as well as an own goal by Millers defender Danny Collins.
Attention tonight, though, is solely on the Capital One Cup – a competition the Dons made history in last season by reaching the Last 16 for the very first time. They also shocked the football world by thrashing Premier League giants Manchester United 4-0 in the second round.
The opposition
Leyton Orient suffered relegation from League 1 in 2014/15 but enjoyed a perfect start to life in the fourth tier by beating Barnet 2-0 at the Matchroom Stadium on the weekend.
Orient are now managed by a former defender of theirs, Ian Hendon and the new boss has had to deal with a number of big-name departures in his first summer in charge – the likes of David Mooney, Romain Vincelot, Nathan Clarke and Andrea Dossena have all left the South East London club since the end of last season.
Still, the ex-West Ham United first-team coach has managed to assemble a squad which will have ambitions of making an immediate return to League 1 – Saturday’s convincing win over Barnet the ideal platform for the O’s to build on.
View from the dugouts
Karl Robinson, speaking to MK Dons PlayerHD: “Hendo has gone in there from West Ham, having worked under Sam (Allardyce). He’ll want to get off to very strong footing and after winning against Barnet on Saturday, to come here and beat us would be a tremendous start for them.
“The most important thing for us this year is the league but we want a cup run as well. We’ll make a number of changes but the final implications of a good cup run can have a big impact on what you’re trying to do.”
“I think it will be a great game to come and watch, with some exciting players on show. It will be a very offensive game by both teams and I’m excited by it.”
Team news
Robinson has confirmed he will make eight changes to his starting line-up.
Matthew Upson, Sergio Aguza and Cristian Benavente will make their Dons debuts, while the likes of Cody Cropper, Joe Walsh, Lee Hodson, Simon Church, Carl Baker and Daniel Powell will all be pushing for starts.
Mark Randall (pelvis) remains sidelined with Darren Potter, Antony Kay, Rob Hall and Samir Carruthers also expected to miss out after picking up knocks on Saturday.
Orient, meanwhile, may hand full debuts to Alan Dunne, Ollie Palmer and Blair Turgott after the trio came off the bench in the weekend win over Barnet.
Winger Jobi McAnuff could also come into the squad after returning to training following his time away with Jamaica at the Gold Cup.
Betting
Sky Bet
To win the tie:
Dons – 2/7
Leyton Orient – 5/2
Method of victory:
Either team in extra time – 7/1
Either team on penalties – 13/2
First goalscorer:
Simon Church – 9/2
Sam Gallagher – 9/2
Carl Baker – 13/2
Paul McCallum – 17/2
Jay Simpson – 9/1
Cristian Benavente – 9/1
Scorecast:
Sergio Aguza to score first and the Dons to win 3-0 – 85/1
*All odds correct at the time of writing
Click here for odds on all Sky Bet Championship outright markets - don't forget the Dons benefit every time you win with Sky Bet!
