Group K of the EFL Trophy will commence on Tuesday as Burton Albion host Milton Keynes Dons at the Pirelli Stadium, looking to return to winning ways.

On the other hand, MK Dons head into the fixture on the back of a 2-0 victory, having put together a three-game unbeaten streak in League One.

Match preview

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, now in charge of Burton Albion, pictured in January, 2021 © Reuters

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink will be hoping his squad can pick up their fourth win of the season on Tuesday and respond to the recent 1-1 draw they picked up against Cheltenham Town.

Burton fought back from going a goal down on Saturday, with a strike from Lucas Akins helping his team secure a point in a fixture that saw Michael Mancienne suffer a hamstring injury.

The point was welcomed by Hasselbaink on the back of a 3-0 defeat against Cambridge United in their previous outing, which is why this cup fixture will likely be a positive distraction in a bid to get back to winning ways.

Burton have started the season well though, currently sitting just outside the playoffs in League One, being just two points behind the leaders Sunderland.

With just one defeat so far in the league, there should be no shortage of confidence, although they will be hoping for an improvement on their EFL Cup adventures which saw them knocked out in the first round against Oxford United via penalties.

MK Dons' Dean Lewington pictured in January 2021 © Reuters

In a group that also features Wycombe Wanderers and Aston Villa's Under-21s side, both MK Dons and Burton will be hoping to start with a positive result.

Last season saw Burton crash out of the competition in the group stage, finishing third after securing just one victory, meanwhile MK Dons topped their group.

The Dons actually made it through to the quarter-finals last season in the EFL Trophy, eventually being knocked out by Sunderland who then went on to win the entire competition.

Much like Burton, MK Dons have only lost once so far in the league, having drawn twice and picked up two wins as well, one of which took place during their most recent outing.

Liam Manning's squad head into the game following a 2-0 win against Accrington Stanley with goals coming from Mohamed Eisa and Matt O'Riley as The Dons earned their first clean sheet of the season.

Manning only took charge of the club partway through August after Russell Martin took over Swansea City, but so far it has been a great start for him, having guided the team to two wins and a draw, with only one defeat to the current league leaders Sunderland.

Last season MK Dons were able to take four points from their fixtures with Burton in the league, but The Dons have yet to secure a victory away from home this season.

Burton Albion form (all competitions):

MK Dons form (all competitions):

Team News

MK Dons striker Mohamed Eisa in action with Tottenham Hotspur's Cameron Carter-Vickers on July 28, 2021 © Reuters

After coming off injured against Cheltenham, Burton will be without Mancienne for this cup fixture which will likely provide an opportunity for Bryn Morris to start in the midfield for the first time since suffering a dead leg.

Omari Patrick joined the club in the summer from Carlisle United and he has had the chance to lead the line for Burton, which could be set to continue.

Both Kane Hemmings and Ciaran Gilligan recently returned to first-team training and while this game might be too soon for them to start, there could be a chance for Hasselbaink to name them within the squad.

Burton will be without Tom O'Connor, who suffered a hamstring injury against Cambridge United, but Terry Taylor could be set to return as his isolation period ends prior to the clash with MK Dons.

Manning has guaranteed that he will make changes to his side for this fixture, which will provide opportunities for other members of the squad to get some game time.

Eisa suffered a slight knock during the victory against Accrington and despite scoring in that game, the striker could be rested on Tuesday.

Burton Albion possible starting lineup:
Garratt; Brayford, Shaughnessy, Leak, Hamer; Morris, Borthwick-Jackson; Akins, Powell, Smith; Patrick

MK Dons possible starting lineup:
Ravizzoli; O'Hora, Darling, Lewington; Watson, O'Riley, McEachran, Harvie, Twine, Boateng; Parrott

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We say: Burton Albion 2-1 MK Dons

This EFL Trophy fixture brings two teams in great form together, which will no doubt provide a close contest that will be determined by small moments.

However, with Burton having the home advantage and several players potentially returning from injury they might just have enough to edge this particular tie.

Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 3.5 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.

Written by
Matthew Wilkinson

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 MK Dons win with a probability of 38.72%. A win for Burton Albion had a probability of 36.34% and a draw had a probability of 24.9%.

The most likely scoreline for a MK Dons win was 1-2 with a probability of 8.53%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-1 (8.31%) and 0-2 (6.06%). The likeliest Burton Albion win was 2-1 (8.22%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.68%). The actual scoreline of 1-2 was predicted with an 8.5% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 1-2 win for MK Dons in this match.