Preview:Bristol Rovers vs MK Dons - prediction, team news, lineups

Separated by just a point, Bristol Rovers welcome Milton Keynes Dons to The Memorial Ground for a League Two clash on Saturday afternoon.

Both sides were in EFL Trophy action on Tuesday night, with the Pirates beating Cheltenham Town 1-0, while their upcoming visitors lost 1-0 to Reading.

Match preview

Since Bristol Rovers' relegation from League One last season - where they finished 22nd with just 43 points to their name - Darrell Clarke has enjoyed a successful return to the south-west.

After seven years away from the hotseat - having taken charge of Walsall, Port Vale, Cheltenham Town and Barnsley since 2018 - Clarke's return got off to a slow start, taking six games to record his first win.

However, they have since gone on a run that has seen them lose just once in their last seven, a sequence that has allowed them to climb up to 12th in the League Two table.

Despite their good run of form, a potential concern is that they have kept just three clean sheets in 14 games.

Should the Gas come away with a win, it will be their fourth straight league victory at The Mem, following successes over Cambridge United, Barrow and Salford City.

Elsewhere, MK Dons will be looking to put their EFL Trophy defeat behind them and continue their impressive start to the season.

Winning back-to-back games in League Two, MK Dons currently sit seventh in League Two with an eye on climbing the table on Saturday.

Struggling to find momentum under Mike Williamson and Scott Lindsey last season, Paul Warne has got the Dons off to a strong start in this campaign.

Last time out, second-half strikes from Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and Callum Paterson proved enough to see off a late Gillingham fightback.

MK Dons have never lost to Bristol Rovers in the fourth tier, but they will need to be at their very best to claim three points against one of the league's in-form home sides.

Bristol Rovers League Two form:

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Bristol Rovers form (all competitions):

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MK Dons League Two form:

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MK Dons form (all competitions):

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Team News

Clarke made seven changes for the trip to Cheltenham and is likely to make further alterations for Saturday's encounter.

Ryan Howley made his first appearance since August and is available to play in the league for the first time since the trip to Grimsby after recovering from an injury.

Shaq Forde has made a return to training but has not played a competitive game since last season, so it is unlikely he will return in time for this one, while goalkeeper Luke Southwood has been called up by the Northern Ireland team.

As for MK Dons, they have had to deal with an injury crisis which has seen a number of first-team players unavailable for a number of weeks.

Scott Hogan injured himself in the warm-up before the Gillingham game and did not make the squad for their EFL Trophy tie.

Meanwhile, Jack Sanders, Joseph Tomlinson, and Gethin Jones have all missed several weeks of first-team action and remain unavailable to Warne.

Bristol Rovers possible starting lineup:

Young; Southam-Hales, Lopata, Moore, Sparkes; Thomas, Chang, Bilongo, McEachran; Harrison, Cavegn

MK Dons possible starting lineup:

MacGillivray; Offord, Ekpiteta, Maguire, Mellish; Collar, Kelly, Gilbey; Nemane, Paterson, Leko

We say: Bristol Rovers 1-1 MK Dons

Both sides have shown signs of improvement in recent weeks, but defensive lapses have continued to hold them back from building consistent momentum.

Bristol Rovers' strong home form should see them find the net, yet MK Dons possess enough attacking quality to respond, setting up a closely fought game that is likely to end in a draw.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.