Robbie Neilson’s side will be looking to return to winning ways as they host Maidstone United in the Second Round of the Emirates FA Cup.
Neilson was looking to complete an unbeaten month as his side headed to Doncaster Rovers last Saturday and were on course to do so after Chuks Aneke’s early goal gave Dons the lead. A spirited second-half performance from Darren Ferguson’s side, however, saw the Yorkshire outfit take the three points.
Neilson will be looking to bounce back and guide his side into the Third Round of the Emirates FA Cup.
Kick-off is at 3pm.
Maidstone United currently occupy 10th place in the Vanarama National League table just five points off the play-off positions. Jay Saunders will be looking to guide his side into the EFL come the end of the season for the first time in the club's history.
Boasting the likes of Alex Finney, Zavon Hines and Jamar Loza, who all have Football League experience, Saunders has built a hard-working, determined team during his time at the Gallagher Stadium.
A second-half comeback from Doncaster Rovers saw MK Dons fall to their first defeat in six matches.
Chuks Aneke gave Robbie Neilson’s side the lead after just three minutes at the Keepmoat Stadium but second-half goals from John Marquis and Matty Blair saw the hosts claim all three points.
Meanwhile, Maidstone United were comprehensively defeated 4-0 by Tranmere Rovers. James Norwood found the back of the net twice with Andy Cook and Oliver Norburn also scoring.
In the first round of the Emirates FA Cup, the Kent-based outfit overcame Sky Bet League Two side Cheltenham Town 4-2, with Joe Pigott, Zavon Hines and a brace from Delano Sam York securing the win.
Robbie Neilson: “This is a very important round for every team in the competition. You can progress into the Third Round of the Emirates FA Cup and then you’ve obviously got the opportunity to play a big team and have the chance to go and create an upset.
"First and foremost we have to focus on Saturday’s game and not look that far ahead. We play a difficult team on Saturday who have got some really experienced players and definitely have goals within that team.”
Jay Saunders: “I’m looking forward to it - for us it comes at a good time. We can go there and enjoy it, have a free shot at MK Dons and hopefully put in a performance like we did against Cheltenham.
"Hopefully, we can take a good crowd to Milton Keynes - it’s a good stadium and we’re really looking forward to it.”
The Dons are still without Osman Sow (ankle) and Ousseynou Cisse (knee) due to injury, although the former has returned to light training.
Maidstone United will put both Josh Hare and Alex Wynter through a late fitness test ahead of today's clash, while Oliver Muldoon will be looking to be involved.
Elsewhere, Seth Nana Twumasi will miss the tie after his sending off in the First Round of the competition.
Martin Coy will referee this afternoon's fixture at Stadium MK.
Mr Coy has been involved within the professional game since 2013 and during that time he is yet to oversee a fixture involving MK Dons.
The Durham-born official has so far this season officiated 16 games and has produced 30 yellow cards and three reds.
The assistant referees are Callum Walchester and Garry Maskell while the fourth official is Mark Pottage.
There have been no previous meetings between the two sides.
Result
MK Dons win – 1/2
Draw – 16/5
Maidstone United win – 11/2
First goalscorer
Chuks Aneke – 7/2
Kieran Agard – 7/2
Ryan Seager – 9/2
No goalscorer – 12/1
Joe Pigott – 8/1
Zavon Hines – 8/1
Jamar Loza – 10/1
Scorecast
Kieran Agard Aneke to score first and Dons to win 3-1 – 30/1
Sky Bet tip
Both Teams to Score and Over 3.5 Goals in the match – 5/2
*all odds correct at the time of writing
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Supporters living outside the UK will be unable to watch the match live on iFollow due to international broadcasting rights.
You can, however, listen to live commentary on iFollow MK Dons – click HERE to sign up to iFollow MK Dons for as little as £4.49 a month.
Supporters can also stay in touch with the Dons via mkdons.com’s Match Centre, which can be accessed by visiting the home page from 1pm.
There will also be full coverage on the Club’s social media channels – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat!
A full match report will be available to view on mkdons.com straight after the final whistle
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Tickets for today's Emirates FA Cup Second Round tie with Maidstone United are priced from £12 adults,£5 under-18s and just £1 for under-12s, with upgrades available to East Centre and clubRed.
To book tickets click HERE, visit the Box Office at Stadium MK or call 0333 200 5343. Tickets will be available to buy right up until kick-off.
