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[monks data]
Doncaster Rovers
League One | Gameweek 11
Oct 2, 2021 at 3pm UK
The Keepmoat Stadium
MK Dons

Doncaster
2 - 1
MK Dons

Rowe (6'), Cukur (79')
Hiwula (34'), Williams (82'), Cukur (90+1')
FT(HT: 1-1)
Kioso (24')
Harvie (76')

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

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

Doncaster Rovers will welcome MK Dons to the Keepmoat Stadium on Saturday with the hosts looking for their second League One win of the season.

MK Dons will enter the fixture in third place and a victory could potentially take the away side into an automatic promotion spot.


Match preview

dSwindon Town manager Richie Wellens in November 2019© Reuters

Doncaster have had an atrocious start to the campaign, losing seven of the nine league games they have played, which has left them rooted to the bottom of the table with only four points to their name and six points adrift of safety.

There was some positivity when they collected their first league win of the season on September 18 against Morecambe, but since that fixture they have lost twice.

First, they suffered a 2-1 away defeat to Plymouth Argyle, then their most recent outing resulted in a demoralising 6-0 loss away to Ipswich Town.

The problem for Doncaster boss Richie Wellens is that his side have been poor in both boxes, as they have only scored four goals in League One - no team has scored fewer in the third tier - while they have conceded 17 times at the other end.

A crumb of comfort for Wellens is that all of the four points they have collected this term have come from their three League One home games and they will need their home support if they are to get anything against an in-form MK Dons side.

In contrast to their hosts, MK Dons have enjoyed a promising start to their season and they will enter Saturday's fixture in third position.

They have only suffered one defeat in the league this term and the away side will head into the contest in the midst of an eight-game unbeaten run in League One.

MK Dons' last fixture was eventful as they drew 3-3 against Fleetwood Town with Scott Twine's hat-trick not enough to clinch Liam Manning's team all three points.

Part of the success of Manning's side has been how easily they have managed to find the net, as no other team in League One has scored more than the 20 goals MK Dons have managed to net this term.

Although they have struggled to win many away games, MK Dons have drawn three of their four league away fixtures, and as a result, they are yet to lose on their travels in League One, which will give them confidence as they head to the Keepmoat Stadium on Saturday.

Doncaster Rovers League One form:
  • D
  • L
  • L
  • W
  • L
  • L

Doncaster Rovers form (all competitions):
  • L
  • L
  • W
  • W
  • L
  • L

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

MK Dons form (all competitions):
  • W
  • D
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • D



Team News

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

Richie Wellens switched to three at the back in the second half against Ipswich, but with Doncaster conceding four goals in the second period he may revert to a back four for the weekend.

Wellens will need to find a forward line that can start scoring goals consistently, so he could bring Rodrigo Vilca in for Jordy Hiwula.

MK Dons saw Mo Eisa return to the squad against Fleetwood after missing the last five games through injury and the striker could come into the starting lineup at the weekend after coming on as a late sub on Tuesday.

Peter Kioso came back into the starting lineup against Fleetwood and the 23-year-old will start again against Doncaster.

Manning gave David Kasumu a runout late on against Fleetwood after the midfielder returned to the squad following an injury and he is likely to be on the bench once again on Saturday.

Doncaster Rovers possible starting lineup:
Dahlberg; Knoyle, Williams, Anderson, Rowe; Close, Smith, Gardner; Dodoo, Cukur, Vilca

MK Dons possible starting lineup:
Fisher; O'Hora, Darling, Jules; Kioso, O'Riley, Robson, Harvie, Twine; Parrott, Eisa


SM words green background

We say: Doncaster Rovers 1-3 MK Dons

Doncaster would have been hoping for an easier test as they seek to recover from the 6-0 defeat to Ipswich and we think that MK Dons will win this contest comfortably, as they bid to extend their unbeaten run in the league to nine games.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting a double chance bet on a draw or an away win 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.Draw/Away:data


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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 43.16%. A win for Doncaster Rovers had a probability of 30.3% and a draw had a probability of 26.5%.

The most likely scoreline for a MK Dons win was 0-1 with a probability of 11.19%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (8.82%) and 0-2 (7.83%). The likeliest Doncaster Rovers win was 1-0 (9.02%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.61%). The actual scoreline of 2-1 was predicted with a 7.1% likelihood.


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Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
CStockport CountyStockport442611791444789
4MK Dons442281474611374
5Crewe AlexandraCrewe441913126861770
6BarrowBarrow431814115849968
7Crawley TownCrawley44206186965466
8Walsall441811156665165
9Doncaster RoversDoncaster43197176363064
10Gillingham44189174353-1063
11AFC Wimbledon4416141457471062
12Harrogate TownHarrogate441711165562-762
13Bradford CityBradford431612155255-360
14Notts County44177208885358
15Morecambe44179186376-1357
16Newport CountyNewport44167216171-1055
17Tranmere RoversTranmere44166226364-154
18Accrington StanleyAccrington44159205766-954
19Swindon TownSwindon441411197478-453
20Salford City441211216380-1747
21Grimsby Town441016185572-1746
22Colchester UnitedColchester431111215774-1744
23Sutton UnitedSutton44913225378-2540
RForest Green RoversForest Green4499264177-3636


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