Previewing MK Dons’ Boxing Day home match against Swindon Town, kicking off at 3pm

Boxing Day games have an added air of excitement about them, and that should certainly be the case when MK Dons and Swindon Town lock horns at Stadium MK.

Certainly no strangers to one another, having played 30 times previously, the sides have never before met on Boxing Day. It’s a date Dons have tended to do well in though, winning four of their last five December 26th fixtures, while Swindon have won once since 2018.

The Christmas period tends to start to see divisions take shape, and both sides head into the game at MK1 eager to pick up a win which will not only aid their promotion aspirations but also get one over on a rival. Dons sit fifth in the standings, four points adrift of Swindon in second.

Ian Holloway’s side have been on a tear of late, one which has seen them become a firm fixture in the upper echelons of the division, with just one defeat in their last 11 games in all competitions. Heading to Stadium MK, they have won five of their last six, with only the 1-0 reverse to Cheltenham Town blotting their record.

Dons meanwhile have been inconsistent during that same period, but have only lost twice in the league - the most recent coming a couple of weeks ago in the 3-2 defeat at Notts County. And it has been at home where Paul Warne’s have started to may hay, with four wins and a draw in their last five at Stadium MK.

The Robins have not had a lot of joy in the new city in recent years, with their 4-0 win over Dons in the Vertu Trophy last month their first win at MK1 since 2019, though it was a vastly different team to the one which usually takes to the field for League Two football.

Overall, Dons have won half of the 30 games between the sides, with Swindon claiming the spoils eight time, with seven draws.

Last season, Dons overcame an early set-back to win 3-1 at Stadium MK, with goals from Kane Thompson-Sommers, MJ Williams and Alex Gilbey.

Jack Sanders is back available for Paul Warne after serving a three-match ban, but Swindon captain Ollie Clarke is now serving a similarly dished out retrospective seven-match from an incident dating back to August.

Referee Ben Atkinson will take charge of the game. In 16 games this term, he has shown 72 yellow cards, two reds and awarded six penalties.

This will be his first Dons game not to feature Newport County, with both his previous outings seeing Dons win and draw against the Exiles in 2023/24. Swindon last saw him a year ago in their 3-1 win over Fleetwood Town at the County Ground - one of two wins in three games overseen by Atkinson.

Michael Webb and Marcus Carmichael will run the lines with fourth official Alan Dale.

Bookmakers bet365.com have Dons at 19/20 to win, with Swindon at 13/5, the same odds as a draw.