By Callum Burgess
MK Dons vs Salford City preview
Karl Robinson will return to StadiumMK in the away dugout this weekend when his Salford City side travel to face Milton Keynes Dons on Saturday.
The former MK Dons manager was in charge for six years, winning 147 games and masterminding the club’s only promotion to the Championship.
After being sacked by the Dons, he took charge of Charlton Athletic and Oxford United before inevitably taking the Salford City job, where he has achieved an impressive run of picking up points in nine of his first eleven matches.
The two teams Robinson’s side has lost to are Gillingham and Mansfield Town, who MK Dons beat 2-1 in midweek to hand them only their fifth loss in League Two this season.
Despite falling 1-0 down to Stephen Quinn’s rebound in the 15th minute, goals from Alex Gilbey and Matthew Dennis completed an incredible comeback for the Dons, which pushed them to within two points of the automatic promotion places.
Our opponents on Saturday currently sit in 19th place, but Mike Williamson’s side should not underestimate the threat of the Ammies.
Their striker, Matt Smith, sits only behind Macauley Langstaff in the top scorers list this season, scoring 22 goals in 36 matches.
They also boast experienced Alex Cairns in between the sticks, who played 209 games for Fleetwood Town before signing for Salford City at the start of the season.
These two sides have already faced each other this season at the Peninsula Stadium, where MK Dons came from 2-1 down to win 4-2 courtesy of a Joe Tomlinson brace.
The home side will be hoping to do a double over Salford City, who will be looking for three points in their bid to get away from the relegation places.
Milton Keynes Dons Form
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Salford City Form
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Team News
Stephen Wearne did not feature in the 18-man squad against Mansfield Town, with Matt Dennis stepping into a lone forward role against the Stags. It is still to be determined whether or not he will be present to face Salford City this weekend.
Michael Kelly has been present since the injury to young goalkeeper Filip Marschall, and he is slowly making that position his own.
Despite Max Dean being in the away end at the Cherry Red Records stadium, it is still unclear when he will be fit to play, but he will likely return before the end of the season.
Williamson chose MJ Williams to play in defence against Mansfield Town, with Cameron Norman having to settle for a place on the bench in only the second change from their previous fixture.
Salford City midfielder Elliot Watt has nine yellow cards to his name, meaning another card will see him missing out when they welcome Stockport County to the Peninsula Stadium on Thursday.
Callum Hendry is also one suspension away from missing the game against Stockport County, but it is unlikely the forward will start after starting on the bench in their loss against Gillingham.
Milton Keynes Dons predicted lineup: Kelly, Williams, O’Hora, Harvie, Lofthouse, Tomlinson, Payne, Bate, Gilbey, Kemp, Dennis.
Salford City predicted lineup: Cairns, Ingram, Vassell, Tilt, John, Humbles, Watt, Watson, Chesters, Smith, McAleny.
Prediction
MK Dons will be brimming with confidence after a dominant win at the One Call Stadium that saw many Mansfield Town fans take to social media to praise the Buckinghamshire-based club as the best club that they’ve faced this season.
While losing to Gillingham in midweek, they achieved the same shots on target as the playoff chasers, so they can still offer a threat to the MK Dons backline.
Since Karl Robinson has taken managerial charge at Salford City, he has beaten Crewe Alexandra, Barrow, and Wrexham, so it won’t be as easy as the game may look on paper.
Robinson has had a varied head-to-head record against the Dons since his mutual decision to step down from the club. He has beaten and lost to MK Dons in charge of Charlton Athletic and Oxford United, so there is no indication whether or not he will be able to get the upper hand over his former side this weekend.
MK Dons will be raring to go after their previous result, and despite Salford City’s attempts to bounce back, I can only see this going one way on Saturday.
Prediction: Milton Keynes Dons 3-1 Salford City
Callum Burgess
