Manning expects a different Burton threat this time around

Liam Manning is not expecting a similar encounter when MK Dons and Burton Albion meet on Saturday as when they met back in August.

Dons were 2-1 winners at the Pirelli Stadium in the Papa John’s Trophy, thanks to goals from Jay Bird and Harry Darling - who is suspended from the game following his red card against Stevenage - but both sides have changed significantly, according to Dons’ head coach, since then.

Back-to-back 4-1 wins for Manning’s team have seen them climb to fifth in League One, while Burton have lost their last three league matches, dropping to 13th.

With Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink still tinkering with his side to find their best system, Manning says they go into tomorrow’s game at Stadium MK a little unsure as to how Burton will set up, but he does not expect a similar game to the one the sides played out a few months ago.

He said: “In terms of looking at personnel, they’ve been changing their system lately and have had some results in the short term so we’re not sure how they’ll set up or what they’ll do.

“Credit to Jimmy and his staff, they’ve got a group of players who are fully committed, hard-working and will be dangerous as well.

“But with that, it’s about how we approach the game, how we bring our qualities, how we bring our style and experience into the game to try to perform and win.”