MK Dons can potentially close the gap between themselves and the top three teams in League Two when they travel to Meadow Lane on Monday for a match with Notts County.
On Friday, the Magpies dropped to 16th in the table with a 2-1 defeat to Swindon Town, while the Dons crushed Walsall 5-0 to remain in fourth, just three points behind Wrexham and Mansfield Town for one of the three automatic promotional places next season.
Match preview
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It was another poor second half from Notts County on Friday that saw them end the month of March with consecutive 2-1 defeats in League Two.
Notts County came into 2024 with aspirations of moving into League One, sitting in a playoff position at the beginning of the year, but those hopes have evaporated as they have claimed just two domestic triumphs this year.
The Magpies have been especially poor at home in 2024, going winless in their six league fixtures played at Meadow Lane this year, including five successive defeats.
Since Stuart Maynard became the new manager in the middle of January, Notts County have lost six matches in this competition by a single goal.
After 40 domestic encounters this season, the Magpies have conceded the most goals in League Two (76), allowing eight fewer than they had in their previous League Two campaign in 2018-19 (84), and they still have six matches remaining.
Earlier this season, they ended a seven-match losing run against MK Dons in all competitions, playing them to a 1-1 draw last September.
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Less than a week after suffering a lopsided 5-0 defeat to Stockport County, the Dons took their frustrations out on Walsall, winning by that same score.
That has put Mike Williamson's men back in the hunt for an automatic place in League One next season, while they need five points from their final five games to assure themselves a spot in the playoffs at the very least.
The Buckinghamshire side are on a two-match losing run away from home in this competition, failing to score in three of their last four League Two fixtures as the visitors.
MK Dons have failed to find the back of the net the last two times that they conceded the opening goal domestically, but they have won all but one of their league contests this year when scoring first (2-1 loss to Morecambe in January).
Meanwhile, this team are unbeaten in League Two this season when netting multiple times, winning 16 successive domestic affairs when doing so.
They have never lost a League Two contest versus Notts County, claiming three points in their last four visits to Meadow Lane in all competitions.
Team News
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On Friday, Notts County were missing Jim O'Brien and Sam Austin, who were both ill, while Charlie Colkett did not feature because of an injury.
Aden Baldwin returned from suspension in their previous match, Aaron Nemane was back after missing their loss to Salford City (2-1) with an illness, while the club recently loaned Luther Munakandafa to National League South side Truro City for the remainder of the season.
Alassana Jatta had the only goal for the Magpies on Friday in stoppage time after entering in the latter stages of that match for David McGoldrick, while the top goalscorer in League Two, Macaulay Langstaff, has not found the back of the net in successive fixtures.
After picking up a knock against Crewe Alexandra and missing their match with Stockport County, Dan Kemp was back on the field for MK Dons on Friday, coming on for Stephen Wearne in the second half, while Brooklyn Ilunga was unavailable.
Williamson made one change to his starting 11 from matchday 40 to 41, with Cameron Norman coming into the side on Friday, replacing MJ Williams.
Max Dean notched a brace off the bench for the Dons against Walsall, with Joe Tomlinson, Alex Gilbey and Emre Tezgel scoring the other goals.
Notts County possible starting lineup:
Slocombe; Macari, Baldwin, Cameron; Robertson, Nemane, Randall, Crowley, Bostock; Langstaff, McGoldrick
MK Dons possible starting lineup:
Kelly; Norman, O'Hora, Harvie; Lofthouse, Williams, Bate, Kemp; Wearne, Gilbey; Tezgel
We say: Notts County 1-2 MK Dons
Defensively, Notts County have struggled to hold it together throughout the year, and they are catching MK Dons at a bad time, with the visitors fresh off an emphatic victory last week, while the Dons have the added motivation of being in the thick of the race for a spot in League One.
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Joel Lefevre
