MK Dons entertain Bradford City this afternoon looking to take their strong league form into the month of October.
Robbie Neilson’s side have won three of their last four Sky Bet League One matches to climb up to 10th in the table, two points adrift of the play-off places. Nobody in the division has a better record over the past four games than the Dons.
A key factor behind their recent form has been the side’s defensive displays – they haven’t conceded a goal in over 400 minutes of football and could break a Club record by keeping a fifth successive clean sheet on Saturday.
They face a tough challenge in trying to maintain that good run today but confidence is certainly high at Stadium MK and with the potential for the men from MK1 to move into the top six with a victory, they’ll be eager to come out on top.
Kick-off is at 3pm.
Bradford currently occupy third place in the Sky Bet League One table, two points behind the automatic promotion places. They have found the net 18 times in their 11 matches while limiting opponents to 12 goals at the other end of the field.
The Bantams have taken 13 points from their last six matches courtesy of four wins, one draw and only one defeat. They have lost just once since the 26th August – one of only two defeats they’ve suffered in their 2017/18 league campaign.
Both of those losses were suffered at the Northern Commercials Stadium, meaning Stuart McCall’s side currently boast an unbeaten record away from home this season. They have, though, been held to draws in two of their last four matches on the road.
A much-changed Dons side moved top of Group G in the Checkatrade Trophy courtesy of a penalty shoot-out win over Stevenage at Stadium MK.
The men from MK1, who included 10 new faces in the starting XI, had chances to win the tie during regulation time but weren’t able to find a way past Chris Day – Chuks Aneke, Ryan Seager and Robbie Muirhead among those who were denied by the experienced stopper.
Both sides were forced to settle for a draw but the Dons were able to secure themselves a bonus point courtesy of a 5-4 victory on penalties – Brandon Thomas-Asante netting the winning spot-kick for Robbie Neilson’s side.
Bradford, not in Checkatrade Trophy action in midweek, returned to winnings ways last weekend with a 2-0 success over Yorkshire rivals Doncaster Rovers.
Charlie Wyke put the Bantams ahead on 18 minutes, heading Adam Chicksen’s inch-perfect cross back across goal and into the corner of the net.
Wyke went close to a second just before half-time but his effort was diverted behind for a corner. That led to the Tony McMahon corner from which Nat Knight-Percival headed home a second.
The Dons are without Callum Brittain and Ousseynou Cissé as the pair away on international duty.
Brittain is currently with England Under-20s preparing for their fixture with Czech Republic on Tuesda,y while Cissé is part of a Mali side who take on Ivory Coast in a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier on Friday night.
Elsewhere, Scott Golbourne limped off against Bury and is one to keep an eye on as kick-off approaches while Peter Pawlett (knee) remains sidelined.
Former injury concerns Chuks Aneke and Joe Walsh are both back fit and available for selection.
Like the Dons, Bradford are missing key players due to international selections although they are hopeful of getting one of them back for today's game.
Goalkeeper Colin Doyle is away with Republic of Ireland but the Bantams are hoping to receive permission for the stopper to play at Stadium MK before linking back up with Martin O’Neill’s squad after the match.
Should he not return, Lukas Raeder will make his league debut for the club with backup Rouven Sattelmaier sidelined through injury.
Defender Adam Thompson and forward Shay McCartan are with Northern Ireland so won’t feature on Saturday but midfielder Timothee Dieng could return from a calf injury.
Scott Oldham will be the man in the middle for this afternoon’s clash.
The EFL rookie has refereed eight matches this season and produced 17 cards – 16 yellow and one red.
Today will be his first time taking charge of the Dons and Bradford City.
The assistant referees are Simon Knapp and Rob Smith while the fourth official is Kevin Johnson.
Dons wins: 5
Dons wins at Stadium MK: 2
Last Dons win: 2-0, 23 Sep 2014 (Stadium MK)
Biggest Dons win: 4-1, 8 Feb 2005 (Northern Commercials Stadium)
Draws: 1
Draws at Stadium MK: 0
Last draw: 2-2, 28 Feb 2017 (Northern Commercials Stadium)
Bradford wins: 8
Bradford wins at Stadium MK: 4
Last Bradford win: 2-1, 16 Aug 2016 (Stadium MK)
Biggest Bradford win: 2-0, 13 Aug 2005 (Northern Commercials Stadium)
Result
Dons win – 9/5
Draw –9/4
Bradford – 6/4
First goalscorer
Osman Sow – 11/2
Kieran Agard – 11/2
Gboly Ariyibi – 13/2
Chuks Aneke – 15/2
No goalscorer – 8/1
Charlie Wyke – 9/2
Dominic Poleon – 11/2
Alex Jones – 6/1
Paul Taylor – 13/2
Scorecast
Chuks Aneke to score first and MK Dons to win 1-0 – 35/1
*all odds correct at the time of writing
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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 clash are priced from £22 adults, £17 over-65s/under-21s and £7 under-18s while under-12s can go FREE with a Young Dons (Plus) membership. Supporters can upgrade to East Centre for a £5 premium with an upgrade to clubRed available for £10.
Current serving members of the armed forces can attend for FREE in standard areas while their family and friends can attend at a rate of £15 adults and £5 under-18s. The discounted rate of £15 adults also applies to Armed Forces veterans.
To book tickets click here, visit the Box Office or call 0333 200 5343. Tickets will be available to buy right up until kick-off but online sales will close at 12.30pm.
