Preview: MK Dons vs. Oxford United - prediction, team news, lineups

MK Dons continued to keep themselves from the relegation spaces in their most recent outing when they beat Bristol Rovers away 2-0, while Oxford United come into this affair having suffered a 1-0 defeat against Shrewsbury Town.

Match preview

A win against Bristol Rovers in their last match sparked a glimmer of hope in a poor season for MK Dons, as they once again acquired a monumental victory when they needed it most, avoiding a drop into the dreaded relegation zone.

Mohamed Eisa put the away side in the ascendancy early in the game after dispatching a penalty in the third minute - a lead that was doubled in the 91st minute by the teenage substitute Max Dean in a special moment for the 18-year-old as he scored the first senior professional goal of his career.

Goalscoring has been a department that the hosts have lacked in this season, as they have struggled to nail down a consistent goalscorer in the side, with 35-year-old midfielder Bradley Johnson being the top scorer in the league for MK Dons amassing five this campaign.

A second win on the bounce in this match for Mark Jackson's side would see them launch themselves into a more promising position than the 19th-place that they currently occupy in the League One table as they look to avoid the impending doom of relegation, with just two places and one point currently separating them from the bottom four.

The last time the sides faced each other it was MK Dons who claimed a 2-1 victory away at the Kassam Stadium, as goals from Matt Smith and Will Grigg secured the victory for their side despite a late Oxford United goal by John Mousinho.

Meanwhile, Oxford United have fallen into a slump in League One, with four straight defeats leaving them in 15th position and 12 points adrift from the promotion playoff positions.

A surprise defeat at the hands of Burton Albion will be the standout loss that will ring alarm bells for Karl Robinson, as his side were beaten 2-0 by the relegation-battling outfit.

The lack of ability to capitalise on opportunities created has cost Oxford in recent games, as they have scored only once in their last four matches despite creating chances to score.

In their last fixture, this once again proved to be the case, as Oxford managed to have 19 shots on goal while hitting the woodwork against Shrewsbury Town despite losing 1-0 to Ryan Bowman's winner.

Against MK Dons it is likely that Oxford will once again create opportunities to score, but will need to find their clinical edge if they are to revive their season away from mid-table mediocrity.

For a side that has competed for playoff positions on a regular basis in past seasons, it is vital that Oxford get back on track on Saturday and put an end to the slippery slope of poor form that they have found themselves on in recent games.

MK Dons League One form:

L

D

W

L

L

W

Oxford United League One form:

W

W

L

L

L

L

Team News

MK Dons are not expected to make any changes to the side that were victorious over Bristol Rovers last weekend.

There are no current injuries or suspensions that MK Dons have, therefore Mark Jackson will have his full squad available to select from.

However, Oxford are expected to make changes following their fourth straight defeat against Shrewsbury Town.

Djavan Anderson is set to return to the side in a right wing-back role at the expense of Tyler Goodrham in a formation change from a 4-2-3-1 to a 5-3-2.

Loanee Kyle Joseph is also set to miss out on a position in the starting lineup, with Karl Robinson opting for Cameron Brannagan to partner Marcus McGuane and Lewis Bate in a midfield three with Billy Bodin and Yanic Wildschut expected to lead the line.

MK Dons possible starting lineup:

Cumming; Watson, Jules, Tucker, Harvie; McEachran, Maghoma; Leko, Devoy, Kaikai; Eisa

Oxford United possible starting lineup:

Eastwood; Anderson, Long, Moore, Brown, Fleming; Brannagan, Bate, McGuane; Bodin, Wildschut

We say: MK Dons 0-2 Oxford United

We believe that Oxford will put an end to the poor form that they have suffered as of late and will find a more clinical edge to their performance as they have not suffered from a lack of ability to create goalscoring situations.

MK Dons will set up well, however, a lack of ability to highly threaten Oxford's goal could leave them unstuck in this contest and therefore we think that this contest will end 2-0 in the away side's favour.

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