mkdons.com previews today'S Sky Bet League One clash with Portsmouth at Stadium MK.
Dan Micciche's side suffered a 1-0 defeat against Walsall last weekend as Julien Ngoy netted a second-half winner on his debut. There were, however, encouraging signs for Micciche to take from the game as the Dons showed composure on the ball as they look to adopt his footballing philosophy.
Both Elliott Ward and Josh Tymon made their debuts in the defeat and the Dons fans in attendance would've been excited by their performances. Ward looked to play out from the back, read the game well and also put in a crucial block to deny Walsall's Erhun Oztumer.
Tymon, who replaced Marcus Tavernier with 10-minutes remaining, injected pace and energy down the left. Both Ward and Tymon will be hoping to make their mark at Stadium MK against Portsmouth.
Kick-off is at 3pm.
Claiming the League Two crown on the final day of last season, and thereby returning to the third tier after a four-year absence, Portsmouth then saw manager Paul Cook leave Fratton Park in order to return to Wigan, quickly replacing him with the experienced Kenny Jackett, a proven campaigner with over 800 League games in charge to his name.
Jackett added former Swindon captain Nathan Thompson to his squad before then boosting his attacking options when signing the prolific Brett Pitman from Ipswich, later on in the summer strengthening further in the shape Oliver Hawkins from Dagenham & Redbridge.
Since suffering a New Year’s Day loss at Bristol Rovers though, Jackett’s team have drawn two and lost two of their subsequent four League games, leaving them ninth in the table coming into this Saturday’s game, five points off the final playoff berth - a position they'll be looking to occupy come the end of the season.
A second-half goal from Walsall substitute Julien Ngoy saw MK Dons fall to a 1-0 defeat at the Banks’s Stadium.
Ngoy struck with 21 minutes remaining to ensure Dan Micciche’s men left the Midlands empty-handed, in a game where Robbie Muirhead had a shot cleared off the line and others went agonisingly close.
Chuks Aneke will serve the final match of his three-game suspension following his dismissal against Northampton Town. Peter Pawlett will be monitored for a groin injury that saw him miss last weekend's defeat against Walsall, while Aidan Nesbitt will also be closely assessed. Both Joe Walsh and Scott Golbourne are still unavailable.
For Portsmouth, Stephen Henderson will miss the clash after injuring his thigh just a few days after securing a loan switch to Fratton Park. Elsewhere, despite playing 45-minutes for Portsmouth's reserves, Jack Whatmough will miss today's game as he continues his recovery from a serious knee injury.
John Brooks will be the man in the middle this afternoon – the second time he's overseen the Dons this season.
The official last took charge of the men from MK1 during their 1-1 draw with Walsall at Stadium MK earlier in the season - that day he issued one yellow card and awarded a penalty.
In total this season, Mr. Brooks has issued 107 yellow cards and four reds.
His assistant referees are Nicholas Cooper and Rob Smith while the fourth official is Andrew Newbold.
Dons wins: 0
Draws: 2
Last draw: 1-1, 26 Feb 2013 (Fratton Park)
Portsmouth wins: 1
Portsmouth wins at the Stadium MK: 2
Last Portsmouth win: 2-0, 14 Oct, 2017 (Fratton Park)
Biggest Portsmouth win: 2-0, 14 Oct, 2017 (Fratton Park)
Result
MK Dons – 12/5
Draw – 9/4
Portsmouth – 6/5
Scorecast
Kieran Agard to score first and MK Dons to win 2-1 – 45/1
SkyBet Special
MK Dons to win and Both Teams to Score – 6/1
First Goalscorer
Kieran Agard – 6/1
Ike Ugbo - 13/2
Marcus Tavernier - 11/1
No Goalscorer - 15/2
Brett Pitman - 4/1
Conor Chaplin - 6/1
Oliver Hawkins - 6/1
*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.
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 clash with Portsmouth at the Stadium MK are priced at £22 adults, £17 seniors/under-21s, £8 for under-18s, meanwhile, under-12s go FREE with a Young Dons membership.
To book tickets click HERE, visit the Box Office at Stadium MK/centre:mk or call 0333 200 5343.
Tickets will be available to buy right up until kick-off.
