Seen by many as the most controversial game in the English football pyramid, AFC Wimbledon vs MK Dons is a match-up that always seems to grab the attention of the neutral fans.
On this occasion, the League Two fixture comes at a crucial time for both clubs, with MK Dons making a charge for automatic promotion whilst AFC Wimbledon is one of many clubs hoping to sneak into the final play-off spot.
This article will give you a rundown of what to expect from both sides going into this pivotal match at the Cherry Red Records Stadium on Saturday.
The Reverse Fixture:
These two sides have already faced each other once this season, facing off in January at Stadium MK. Mike Williamson’s men came away with an emphatic 3-1 win whilst the away side left with one injured defender and a further two with straight red cards, both of which were for hauling down MK striker Max Dean when he was through on-goal.
MK Dons started that game brightly and found themselves 3-0 up in just 22 minutes thanks to goals from Dan Kemp and Warren O’Hora as well as an unfortunate own goal from The Wombles’ Ryan Johnson.
Armani Little brought it back to 3-1 early in the second half after MK goalkeeper Filip Marschall gave the ball away with a poor pass out from the back. However, any momentum The Wombles had was soon stifled after Huseyin Biler picked up a straight red card.
Paul Kalambayi would also head for an early shower a few minutes later and the game settled, with both sides seeing out a quiet end to the game.
Form:
AFC Wimbledon’s have been average at best throughout February. They picked up an impressive 2-0 home win against Barrow but this was their only win of the month. Losses against Doncaster, Crawley and Accrington Stanley have seen Johnnie Jackson’s men drop to 13th, albeit only four points off the play-offs.
They did manage to limit the damage with draws against Bradford and Morecambe but they need a statement win to get their campaign back on track.
MK Dons meanwhile have endured a dramatic month of fixtures. They started February with a loss to Barrow but bounced back with a win over Accrington Stanley. With this being said Mike Williamson’s men collapsed the following fixture with a horrendous showing away at Bradford, losing 4-0.
Since then, they’ve enjoyed wins against Swindon and Newport as well as a controversial home draw against Wrexham due to the away side’s goalkeeper debatably dropping the ball in his own goal only for the match officials to wave play on. As things stand they’re in 5th, just three points off the automatic promotion spots and five points off the top of the table.
Team News:
Loanee Kofi Balmer will likely remain out of AFC Wimbledon’s matchday squad though he is close to a return and could feature as soon as their Tuesday fixture at home to Grimsby.
This game against MK Dons might just come a little too soon for him. Defenders Joe Lewis and Ryan Johnson have been out with injuries for a few weeks, the latter due to an injury he picked up in the reverse fixture. Neither is expected to return just yet.
Goalkeeper Filip Marschall, centre-back Jack Tucker and star striker Max Dean are all still side-lined for this fixture whilst MK Dons captain Dean Lewington will still be suspended following a straight red card he picked up against Wrexham.
Expected Line-ups:
AFC Wimbledon – Alex Bass (GK), Isaac Ogundere, Alex Pearce, Lee Brown, Jack Currie, James Tilley, Armani Little, Jake Reeves (C), Ronan Curtis, Josh Kelly, Omar Bugiel.
MK Dons – Michael Kelly (GK), Kyran Lofthouse, Cameron Norman, Warren O’Hora, Daniel Harvie, Joe Tomlinson, Jack Payne, Lewis Bate, Dan Kemp, Alex Gilbey (C), Stephen Wearne.
Key Players:
AFC Wimbledon:
Ronan Curtis – In the reverse fixture, The Wombles’ attacking players struggled to impose themselves on the game. This could well be down to a lack of experience. The likes of Josh Davison and Aron Sasu started that game but neither had much of an impact. Someone like Ronan Curtis could help fix this problem.
He has experience at the League One level and has enough star quality to make something happen on his own. The 27-year-old may be told to attack the wings which could cause MK Dons problems since wingbacks Joe Tomlinson and Kyran Lofthouse tend to push high up the pitch and join the attacks which gives teams a chance to break effectively if they can move the ball quickly enough.
Curtis was only just through the door at the time of the first fixture between these sides and due to the red cards, he never got a chance to come off the bench. One month later, he’s almost guaranteed to be in the starting XI.
Omar Bugiel – 30-year-old Omar Bugiel also missed the first fixture. In his case it was due to the international fixtures at the time so he was out representing Lebanon at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup.
Bugiel is a typical lower-league target man and will act as a clear focal point for The Wombles. He’ll be expected to keep the likes of Warren O’Hora and Cameron Norman busy with his physicality, allowing the likes of James Tilley and Josh Kelly to run into the gaps left behind.
The two sides are opposites when it comes to style of play so if AFC Wimbledon can force a more physical game, they’ll have the advantage.
Daniel Harvie – Usually the talk of the town would be about Dean Lewington, the man who played under the banner of Wimbledon FC and spent the rest of his career at MK Dons.
However, with him suspended it’ll be MK’s second longest-serving player that will likely become the pantomime villain on the day. Harvie is a big character and the Scotsman will no doubt be looking to ruffle a few feathers amongst the opposition players and fans.
He’s been in top form recently and has started to put in some very strong tackles on his marker. This means if the game gets physical, Harvie will be the one to take the game by the scruff of the neck and give a bit back. Whether it’s James Tilley or Ronan Curtis attacking down the left, Harvie’s job will be to aggravate them whilst simultaneously minimising their impact.
Stephen Wearne – Interestingly MK Dons have started a lot of their recent games with no recognised striker on the pitch. Instead, it will be attacking midfielder Stephen Wearne who leads the line.
Stylistically, MK likes to get the ball on the ground and play possession football. It’s a very patient style of play but it also requires a few midfield technicians and Wearne will be the most advanced of these. He will look to appear in pockets of space and enable his teammates to make runs around him.
If the ball reaches Wearne that’s usually the point where Mike Williamson’s men start to move the ball quicker in the final third. Without the presence of a natural striker, MK’s front three will be fluid and will likely rotate positions to make themselves harder to track.
This means Wearne may appear on the wings at times with either Dan Kemp or Alex Gilbey temporarily moving to the more central role. AFC Wimbledon’s best chance to defend this is to mark each player man for man and restrict the amount of time each opposition player has on the ball. If they can do this then MK Dons will struggle to create anything other than long shots on goal.
Predictions:
This will be a feisty game with lots of cards. AFC Wimbledon will be out for vengeance, looking to make up for their poor performance in the reverse fixture. On the other hand, MK Dons will be looking to build on the momentum of their previous few results and won’t want to be drawn into a scrappy game.
However, the form can sometimes go out the window when it comes to grudge matches like this. It will be an edgy affair with fine margins and it could simply come down to which individual player doesn’t handle the pressure and makes the mistake.
I’m going to predict a 1-2 win to MK Dons with goals from Dan Kemp and Jack Payne sandwiching a Ronan Curtis equaliser.