Football – England – League One
Saturday 22nd November 2014 – Kickoff: 1500hrs
MK Dons will be looking to continue their five match unbeaten run of matches in League One when they entertain mid-table Port Vale at their stadium:mk on Saturday afternoon.
The Dons have recently beaten Yeovil Town away along with impressive home wins over Fleetwood Town and 2nd placed Swindon Town, while draws against Leyton Orient and Doncaster Rovers (both on the road) have helped maintain their current position in the play-off positions.
MK Dons’ home record stands at 5-1-1 17/7 and they’ve won their last three on home turf on the trot including a 6-1 demolition of Crewe Alexandra. Young goalscoring midfielder Alli (7 goals) along with forwards Afobe (6 goals) and Grigg (4 goals) look the likeliest anytime goalscorers for The Dons.
Port Vale also head into today’s match in good form having won their last three League One matches on the trot with wins over Leyton Orient, Colchester United and Rochdale, although two of these three wins were at their Vale Park ground while Colchester’s home form has been inconsistent.
Port Vale’s away form should tell us more and I believe it does; the win at Colchester ended a sequence of six matches on the road without a win as they suffered defeats at Peterborough United, Crewe Alexandra, Fleetwood Town and Preston North End (three of these four clubs are in the top half of the division), while their away record stands at 2-2-4 9/12.
It’s worth noting that MK Dons have had an extra week to rest and prepare for this match as last week’s fixture at Scunthorpe United was postponed. Therefore, with home advantage along with extra rest (and more attacking options), I’ll back the hosts for the win here, perhaps 2-1.
Pick: MK Dons straight win @ 1.67 Coral
