MK Dons will be looking to maintain their excellent recent record over Oldham Athletic when the two sides meet at Stadium MK today.
The men from MK1 have won their last six encounters with the Latics, including a club-record 7-0 triumph during the 2014/15 campaign.
Extending that run this afternoon would see Robbie Neilson’s side return to winning ways after going three matches without tasting victory – after defeats to Bradford City and Portsmouth, they were held to a 1-1 draw by Walsall in midweek, despite dominating the Saddlers at Stadium MK.
A triumph may also lead to them closing the gap on the play-off places, should results go their way elsewhere – the margin currently stands at four points.
Kick-off is at 3pm.
Oldham come into today's match in terrific form, having avoided defeat in their last five matches – a run which has seen them win four times and hold high-flying Bradford City to a 1-1 draw at their Northern Commercials Stadium.
Their recent run has coincided with Richie Wellens taking charge of first-team matters – the former Latics, Blackpool and Leicester City midfielder has revitalised the Greater Manchester club and was appointed permanent boss in midweek.
Now in full control, his first task will be to improve a defence which has conceded 27 goals already this campaign – only one other team in the division (Bristol Rovers) has conceded more.
In front of goal, though, they have been pretty impressive – their total of 19 scored is bettered by only three teams outside the top six in Sky Bet League One.
The Dons were denied victory in midweek after Tyler Roberts’ penalty cancelled out Chuks Aneke’s first-half header.
Aneke, making his first league start since February, found the net from Ed Upson’s free-kick on 23 minutes – just rewards for a dominant first-half display from Neilson’s side.
However, they were forced to settle for a draw when Roberts converted a 57th-minute penalty after Ethan Ebanks-Landell had brought down the forward in the area.
Eoin Doyle’s 24th minute equaliser earned Oldham a point against Bradford City on Tuesday evening.
He slid the ball beyond Colin Doyle from 12 yards to equalise following Paul Taylor’s thunderbolt which opened the scoring after two minutes.
The result extended Oldham Athletic’s unbeaten run to five games as Richie Wellens continued his fine run of form as interim boss.
Robbie Neilson: “I know Richie really well – I played with him at Leicester (City). I know the type of character he is and I know he’ll be desperate to do well there.
“He’s gone in there and really turned the boat around. They’ve got a strong squad and they’ll be looking to push up the table.
“If we play our game, though, hopefully we’ll get three points.”
The Dons will be without Osman Sow, who suffered an ankle injury after coming on as a substitute in the 1-1 draw with Walsall.
The striker’s injury is currently being assessed in order determine the full extent of the damage, but he will definitely miss this afternoon's clash.
Otherwise, the Dons have no fresh injury concerns although Peter Pawlett (knee) remains sidelined.
Oldham could be without midfielders Ryan Flynn and Paul Green while defender Ryan McLaughlin is definitely unavailable.
Forward Courtney Duffus could return after illness.
Antony Coggins is the match official for today’s game.
The EFL rookie, who has yet to take charge of a fixture involving either the Dons or Oldham, has refereed 10 games this season and produced 14 yellow cards. He has yet to make a sending off.
His assistant referees are Andrew Laver and Anthony Da Costa while the fourth official is Alix Pashley.
Dons wins: 11
Dons wins at Stadium MK: 7
Last Dons win: 1-0, 7 Feb 2017 (Stadium MK)
Biggest Dons win: 7-0, 20 Dec 2014
Draws: 3
Draws at Stadium MK: 3
Last draw: 0-0, 22 Feb 2011 (Stadium MK)
Oldham wins: 6
Oldham wins at Stadium MK: 1
Last Oldham win: 3-1, 9 Feb 2013 (SportsDirect.com Park)
Biggest Oldham win: 3-0, 28 Aug 2004 (SportsDirect.com Park)
Result
Dons win – 5/4
Draw – 12/5
Oldham – 21/10
First goalscorer
Kieran Agard – 9/2
Chuks Aneke – 5/1
Gboly Ariyibi – 5/1
No goalscorer – 11/1
Craig Davies – 5/1
Eoin Doyle – 6/1
Aaron Holloway – 7/1
Scorecast
Chuks Aneke to score first and MK Dons to win 1-0 – 28/1
Sky Bet tip
Exactly two goals to be scored – 5/2
Two goals have been netted in both of the Dons’ last two matches.
*all odds correct at the time of writing
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Supporters living outside the UK can watch the match LIVE with an iFollow MK Dons Season/Monthly Pass or by purchasing a Match Pass – click here for more information!
iFollow MK Dons will have also live commentary of the game for UK-based fans – click here to sign up for as little as £4.49 for a month or £45 for the season!
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 Family Fun Day clash with Oldham Athletic are priced from just £12 adults and £1 under-18s, while under-12s with a Young Dons membership can go FREE. Supporters can upgrade to East Centre for £5 or clubRed for £10.
Before the game, a host of activity will be taking place inside the Arena MK and outside Stadium MK, including a number of fairground rides, inflatables, a hog roast, a circus workshop and the ever-popular mascot race!
To purchase tickets for what is set to be an action-packed afternoon of Family Fun click here, visit the Box Office at Stadium MK or call 0333 200 5343. Tickets for this fixture are available to buy right up until kick-off.
