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[monks data]
MK Dons
League One | Gameweek 38
Mar 12, 2022 at 3pm UK
Stadium MK
Wigan logo

MK Dons
1 - 1
Wigan

Darling (88')
McEachran (57'), Kasumu (75')
FT(HT: 0-0)
Naylor (59')
Massey (31'), Lang (39'), Tilt (90+1')

Preview: MK Dons vs. Wigan Athletic - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Saturday's League One clash between MK Dons and Wigan Athletic, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

A crucial contest in the battle for promotion will take place at Stadium MK when third-placed MK Dons face Wigan Athletic, who currently sit in second position.

Although both sides are level on 72 points, Wigan have the advantage of possessing three games in hand over Saturday's opponents.


Match preview

MK Dons' Matt O'Riley celebrates scoring their first goal with teammates on January 11, 2022© Reuters

MK Dons are the most in-form side in League One at the moment, having avoided defeat in their last 10 games, with their last five outings resulting in maximum points.

In fact, no side has collected more points in League One in 2022 than the Dons, who have lost just one of their 15 league games in the current calendar year.

In midweek, they claimed a 3-1 home victory over Cheltenham Town thanks to a Troy Parrott brace and a Mo Eisa strike.

Despite their impressive run of results, Liam Manning will view Saturday's home contest as a must-win game if his side are to have realistic ambitions of clinching automatic promotion to the Championship.

Having scored at least two goals in their last five fixtures, MK Dons will be confident that they have the resources to test one of the best defences in League One on Saturday.

Wigan Athletic coach Leam Richardson on February 1, 2022© Reuters

Although they are chasing promotion to the Championship, Wigan will be disappointed that they missed out on a Wembley trip after they were eliminated by Sutton United in the semi-finals of the EFL Trophy in midweek.

James McClean levelled the tie before half time following Will Randall's opener and with neither side able to find a winner, the contest went straight to penalties, where the Latics ultimately fell short.

Despite missing out on a Wembley final, Leam Richardson will be fully aware that the league takes priority and a victory on Saturday could prove crucial in the race for promotion.

Like their hosts, the Latics have also enjoyed a successful opening to the year after losing only two matches in their 13 league games in 2022.

They have also lost just twice on their travels in League One this season, and after claiming back-to-back league victories, they will be confident of another positive result on Saturday.

MK Dons League One form:
  • D
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • W

Wigan Athletic League One form:
  • W
  • D
  • W
  • L
  • W
  • W

Wigan Athletic form (all competitions):
  • D
  • W
  • L
  • W
  • W
  • L



Team News

MK Dons manager Liam Manning celebrates after the game on October 19, 2021© Reuters

Aden Baldwin is ruled out for the hosts, while there are doubts over Connor Wickham and Tennai Watson who have both picked up knocks.

Manning is expected to bring Scott Twine back into the starting lineup after the 22-year-old dropped down to the bench for the midweek contest.

Meanwhile, Eisa will be aiming to score for a fourth consecutive game when he leads the line for the Dons on Saturday.

Wigan are without the services of Thelo Aasgaard and Jordan Cousins, who are both long-term absentees.

Glen Rea is expected to miss out after picking up a knee problem last weekend, while Jason Kerr is also ruled out due to an injury issue.

After making a number of changes for the EFL Trophy semi-final, Richardson is expected to name a similar starting lineup to the one that began the contest with AFC Wimbledon last Saturday.

MK Dons possible starting lineup:
Cumming; O'Hora, Darling, Lewington; Corbeanu, Smith, Coventry, Kesler; Twine, Parrott, Eisa

Wigan Athletic possible starting lineup:
Amos; Power, Whatmough, Watts, Darikwa; Naylor, Shinnie; Lang, Keane, Edwards; Humphrys


SM words green background

We say: MK Dons 2-1 Wigan Athletic

Both sides are in impressive form, but after winning their last five matches, we think that MK Dons will have the edge over the Latics and a victory on Saturday would see the Dons claim a league double over Wigan.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting over 1.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Over 1.5:data



ID:480279:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect9115:
Written by
Ben Sully

Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Wigan Athletic win with a probability of 36.57%. A win for MK Dons had a probability of 36.23% and a draw had a probability of 27.2%.

The most likely scoreline for a Wigan Athletic win was 0-1 with a probability of 10.46%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (7.99%) and 0-2 (6.49%). The likeliest MK Dons win was 1-0 (10.4%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.89%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with a 12.9% likelihood.


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Game History

How you voted: MK Dons vs Wigan

MK Dons
76.0%
Draw
12.0%
Wigan Athletic
12.0%
25
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1Walsall19124335191640
2Port Vale2010642619736
3Crewe AlexandraCrewe199732416834
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9Gillingham199282016429
10Bradford CityBradford197752419528
11Notts County197752521428
12Salford City197662019127
13Cheltenham TownCheltenham207582728-126
14Bromley195952323024
15Fleetwood TownFleetwood185852423123
16BarrowBarrow196581818023
17Newport CountyNewport196582128-723
18Colchester UnitedColchester1941052322122
19Tranmere RoversTranmere195681426-1221
20Harrogate TownHarrogate2063111730-1321
21Accrington StanleyAccrington194782634-819
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23Morecambe2035121936-1714
24Carlisle UnitedCarlisle1935111532-1714


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