Preview: MK Dons vs Huddersfield Town - prediction, team news, lineups

MK Dons will play their first home game back in League One on Saturday, when they meet Huddersfield Town in the second round of 2026-27 Championship matches.

The hosts marked their return to the third tier with an away draw last weekend, while their visitors won under new permanent management on the opening day.

Match preview

MK Dons head back into League One action on Saturday for a first home third tier match of the season after winning promotion last time around.

They earned automatic promotion from League Two under Paul Warne last time around, finishing second on 86 points from their 46 outings to end a three-year stay in the third tier, having scored a league-high tally of 86 goals while conceding 45.

Then on the back of another ambitious summer of recruitment, with their sights set on immediately fighting at the top end of their new division under Warne, the Dons began their competitive season with a tough trip to second-tier Norwich City and fell to a 4-1 defeat as Ryan Wintle pulled it back to 3-1 in the second half and Andre Brooks quickly put the hosts three goals ahead again.

A first league game away at newly-relegated Oxford United then followed last weekend, and they came from behind to lead 2-1 at the interval through Charlie Goode and Aaron Collins, only for the the hosts to snatch a point through Ciaron Brown deep into injury time.

Left wounded by the manner of that draw, but with encouraging signs from a positive display away at a newly-relegated side, MK Dons will now bid to mark their first home game of the campaign with a first win.

They face a tough test, though, as the visitors arrive in search of back-to-back wins to kick off their promotion bid.

Huddersfield Town head into 2026-27 for a third straight League One season on the back of a pair of underwhelming campaigns, failing to crack the playoffs on either occasion and finishing ninth on 67 points last time around.

After spells under Lee Grant and Liam Manning, 2025-26 ended under Martin Drury, who was handed the permanent reins over the summer and led pre-season and their opening their EFL Cup first-round tie with second-tier Preston North End at Goodison Park, in which they drew 1-1 and lost the resultant penalty shootout.

His first league game as permanent boss then came at home to AFC Wimbledon on Saturday, and the Terriers put an opening three-point haul on the board in style, winning 3-0 at the Accu Stadium thanks to Derensili Sanches Fernandes's first-half brace and Bojan Radulovic's 78th-minute goal, despite playing the last hour with 10 men after Bali Mumba's red card.

With confidence bound to be high after that opening-day display, Huddersfield Town now head to Milton Keynes looking to make it consecutive league wins and quickly establish themselves among the third tier's frontrunners.

MK Dons League One form:

MK Dons form (all competitions):

L D

Huddersfield Town League One form:

Huddersfield Town form (all competitions):

L W

Team News

MK Dons will remain without Kane Wilson, Sam Silvera and Alex Gilbey, all of whom have missed the start of the season through injury.

They may be unchanged from last week's draw at Oxford United, with Charlie Goode, Curtis Nelson and Marvin Ekpiteta bound to continue in a back three.

Elsewhere, former Huddersfield man Ben Wiles should again be joined in the engine room by summer signings Ryan Wintle and Dan Barlaser, while Aaron Collins will again lead the attack after opening his account for the season last time out.

Huddersfield Town came into the season with several injury issues too, as midfielders Cameron Ashia, Herbie Kane and Marcus McGuane are ruled out.

The Terriers are also without Bali Mumba, who was sent off in last week's win over AFC Wimbledon, meaning Lynden Gooch may come in on the left-hand side.

Ashley Fletcher and Joe Taylor, who each scored 15 League One goals last season, could again partner up in attack with support from Derensili Sanches Fernandes who scored a first-half brace on his league debut last weekend.

MK Dons possible starting lineup:

MacGillivray; Ekpiteta, Nelson, Goode; Jones, Wintle, Barlaser, Wiles, Bramall; Collins, Nombe

Huddersfield Town possible starting lineup:

Young; Balker, Whatmough, Bowat; Bronkhorst, Ledson, Harness, Gooch; Sanches Fernandes; Fletcher, Taylor

We say: MK Dons 2-2 Huddersfield Town

MK Dons' start to life back in League One does not get any easier with another tricky test at the weekend, but they certainly have an abundance of quality of their own.

The two sides look to have two of the stronger squads in the third tier this term and we anticipate a close encounter which could end level at Stadium MK.

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