Previewing MK Dons’ trip to the Lamex Stadium to take on Stevenage, kicking off at 3pm

After nearly 400 miles of travelling in the week, MK Dons are heading 43 miles down the road to Stevenage this Saturday.

The Lamex Stadium is the venue for Paul Warne’s side as they seek a second win of the season and some much-needed points and momentum. Last Saturday’s 2-1 triumph over fellow neighbours Luton Town, Dons were beaten 2-0 in Blackpool on Tuesday night, scuppering their chances of building on their first win of the season.

They head to Hertfordshire to take on Alex Revell’s side bang in form, with three wins in their last four - the only blot coming against league leaders Bradford City last Saturday, losing 2-0 at Valley Parade. In the week, they thumped Plymouth Argyle 3-0, having also beaten Wigan and Leicester City (in the EFL Trophy) this month.

It is something of an upturn in form though, with results prior to the international break leaving them in the lower mid-table. However, their recent run has seen the Boro climb to ninth in the standings, while Dons are in the lower reaches in 20th.

The teams have been no strangers to one another down the years, with Saturday’s game set to be the 17th. Of those, Dons have won seven and lost six, with three draws.

There are plenty of connections between the sides heading into the game. Charlie Goode left Stevenage to join Dons in the summer, while skipper Alex Gilbey helped them to secure promotion to League One in 2022/23 while on loan from Charlton before returning to Stadium MK. In the Stevenage camp, Jordan Houghton and Dan Kemp both played for Dons, while manager Revell joined the club on a short-term deal in 2016 in a bid to keep them in the Championship.

Referee Will Finnie will take charge of the game. In eight games this season, he has shown 27 yellows, three reds and awarded three penalties. Stevenage have a great record with him in charge, seeing seven wins, a draw and three defeats in 11 games, while Dons have won three and drawn two of the five games he has overseen.

Assistants Christopher Myatt and Michael Webb will run the lines with Fourth Official Matthew Scholes.