Final pre-season games 'a learning curve' for MK Dons
There are just two more pre-season games before the season starts in August
Back-to-back League One opposition will offer MK Dons a stern test heading into the new season.
Paul Warne’s side take on Peterborough United at Stadium MK this evening (Tuesday) before rounding out their pre-season campaign at the Lamex Stadium against Stevenage on Saturday (July 26).
Having gradually ramped up their opposition since kicking off against St Mirren in Spain, a split-squad took on Wealdstone and Doncaster Rovers on Saturday.
Tonight’s encounter against Darren Ferguson’s Posh side though will see Warne test his full-strength side against mid-table League One opposition, which will likely mean they will be out of possession more often and tested in a different way.
“I expect it to be like any other pre-season game - a learning curve,” said Warne ahead of the game. “Peterborough are a strong possession-based team, difficult to play against. They’re good at keeping the ball and playing through you.
“I’m expecting us to be competitive but it’s a big step up from the games we’ve previously played. I expect a high-energy performance to keep them quiet, but also to see our own character when we’ve got the ball.
“Will we try and put crosses in, let shots go, will we be aggressive in the final third? Then we can find out another layer of where we’re at, where we need to improve our coaching or will it highlight any weaknesses in our squad.”
With only two more games to play before the new season kicks off on Saturday August 2 at home against Oldham Athletic, Warne admitted most of his starting line-up is pretty much decided upon, but there are still opportunities in the final two games, and in training, to change his mind.
He said: “I’m closer than I was. It changes, not significantly. I could give you an 11 today, and an 11 a week ago, but eight of them would be nailed in. We’ve got a rough idea of how it would look and how it will play, but we’ve still got two more games to play before we decide.
“If we’re going to be successful in League Two, we have to mix it up and there are different ways to win games. Hopefully, when I go to bed next Saturday night, we’ll have an idea of where we want to be.”