MK Dons travel to the Memorial Stadium this afternoon for their Sky Bet League One clash with Bristol Rovers.
Paul Tisdale’s men go into the match on the back of a 3-0 defeat against Burton Albion last weekend, and will be hoping to pick up their first win since the away victory over Blackpool.
The Dons currently sit 17th in the Sky Bet League One table, seven points adrift of the top six. A victory against the Gas, would not only put an end to their run of losses bit could also lift them up the table.
Kick-off is at 3pm.
THE OPPOSITION
Bristol Rovers have started the season in fine fashion and currently occupy seventh place in the Sky Bet League One table, and sit four points off an automatic promotion place.
Their squad boasts two former Dons in the shape of Jonson Clarke-Harris and Ed Upson - the former has netted seven goals in the league so far this campaign. Elsewhere in the side, Tony Craig, Tom Nichols, Ago Ogogo, Alex Rodman, Ed Upson and Tyler Smith have all found the net.
Graham Coughlan's side boasts the fifth-best home record in Sky Bet League One, having collected 12 points from their six away fixtures in 2019/20.
LAST TIME OUT
A brace from Liam Boyce and a second-half strike from Oliver Sarkic saw MK Dons beaten 3-0 by Burton Albion at Stadium MK.
Boyce opened the scoring with a diving header midway through the first half before Sarkic doubled the advantage with a well-struck curling effort on 53 minutes. Boyce then rounded off the win with a low drive in stoppage time.
Bristol Rovers have been without Sky Bet League One action for over two weeks, with their last outing coming on the 28th September.
That day, they picked up a 1-0 win over Rotherham, a result that leaves The Gas seventh in the Sky Bet League One table.
Jonson Clarke-Harris netted his seventh goal of the season that afternoon.
FIGHTING TALK
Paul Tisdale: “We’ve got some good players who are worthy of playing in this league. I back them all and I want them all to do really well. The most important thing now is that we stick together and get through it.”
Graham Coughlan: “I think we all know what MK Dons are about, they are a really good technical football team, they'll always come at you with the unexpected so your preparation is never as easy as it can be because you just don't know what they will do. Paul always works on different formulas and different patterns of play, so nailing them down will be difficult.”
TEAM NEWS
MK Dons boss Paul Tisdale noted in his pre-match press conference that Ben Reeves is edging closer to a comeback after his injury lay-off.
He added that Kieran Agard remains sidelined along with Joe Mason, Rhys Healey and Sam Nombe.
Bristol Rovers will be without top scorer Jonson Clarke-Harris, he misses the clash with a muscle injury.
REFEREE
Anthony Backhouse will take charge of today's clash, it'll be his first time overseeing MK Dons since the 1-0 win over Forest Green in August 2017.
Mr Backhouse has marshalled nine matches so far this term, producing 36 yellow cards but only one red. He has awarded two penalties.
His assistant referees are Ryan Whitaker and Hristo Karaivanov while the fourth official is Savvas Yianni.
HEAD TO HEAD
Dons wins: 6
Dons wins at the Memorial Stadium: 2
Biggest Dons win: 2-0, 1 Jan 2011 (Stadium MK)
Last Dons win: 2-1, 2 Feb 2011 (The Memorial Stadium)
Draw: 3
Draws: at the Memorial Stadium: 2
Last Draw win: 0-0, 19 Nov 2016 (The Memorial Stadium)
Bristol Rovers wins: 3
Bristol Rovers wins at the Memorial Stadium: 2
Biggest Bristol Rovers win: 2-0, 28 Oct 2017 (The Memorial Stadium)
Last Bristol Rovers win: 1-0, 2 Mar 2018 (Stadium MK)
SKY BET ODDS
Dons win: 23/10
Draw: 5/2
Bristol Rovers win: 21/20
Click HERE for more Sky Bet odds!
ELSEWHERE IN SKY BET LEAGUE ONE
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Oxford United v Doncaster Rovers
Peterborough United v Lincoln City
Portsmouth v Gillingham
Rochdale v Accrington Stanley
Southend United v AFC Wimbledon
Coventry City v Tranmere Rovers
FOLLOW IT LIVE
Tickets, which can now only be bought at the Memorial Stadium ahead of kick-off, are priced from £19 adults, £15 seniors/under-21s, £10 under-16s and £5 under-11s.
Can't make the match? Not to worry, you can listen to live commentary on iFollow MK Dons for just £2.50 - click HERE to purchase an Audio Match Pass!
Supporters can also stay in touch with the action via mkdons.com’s Match Centre, which can be accessed by visiting the home page from 2pm.
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 along with full reaction from Paul Tisdale and a player. Highlights will be available three hours after full-time.
