Third-placed MK Dons have their sights set on finishing in an automatic promotion spot in League One this season, but they will have to continue their good form on Saturday, when they host Ipswich Town.
Wigan Athletic, who currently sit second, have four games in hand on MK Dons, suggesting that Liam Manning's side are not as close to the top two as it first seems, while Ipswich have a six-point gap to make up if they are to climb into the playoff places.
Match preview
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It is unlikely that Wigan will lose all four of their games in hand, meaning that MK Dons must keep up their fine form to continue to apply pressure on the top two, but they could not extend their winning streak to four consecutive games on Tuesday.
Last time out, Manning's side had to settle for a 1-1 draw against 19th-placed Fleetwood Town despite Harry Darling giving the visitors an early lead, with MK Dons not being able to then go on and extend that lead.
The Dons will want to translate their excellent record in the final third away from home on to their own patch, having netted 31 times in 16 matches on their travels, while scoring 11 fewer on home soil.
Nevertheless, MK Dons still have a good points return from their home fixtures, and they need to add three more points on the board this Saturday, which could see them move up into the automatic promotion positions.
Ipswich have lost just twice in their last nine outings, since Kieran McKenna was appointed manager of the Tractor Boys in the middle of December, and another clean sheet helped them to a 1-0 win against Doncaster in midweek.
Tyreeq Bakinson scored his first goal for the club after arriving from Bristol City on loan, but the visitors may have felt disappointed that they did not add to the 24-year-old's strike, having registered seven shots on target.
Five of McKenna's side's last six victories have all come with clean sheets, suggesting that Ipswich will look to break into the top six with a strong defence as their platform.
Saturday's outing will be Ipswich's second away match in the space of five days, so if they can collect another three points to make it six out of six for this week, that could be a statement of intent from the Tractor Boys.
Ipswich and MK Dons played out an entertaining 2-2 draw at Portman Road earlier in the campaign, with Ipswich being pegged back twice after taking the lead on two occasions.
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Team News
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Manning made three changes to his starting lineup for their outing against Fleetwood on Tuesday, but MK Dons could revert back to the same 11 that secured three points against Lincoln last weekend.
Theodor Corbeanu, Troy Parrott and Scott Twine are expected to make up the front three, while centre-back Darling has proved to be a big goal threat having netted in the last two games.
Matthew Smith made his first appearance for the club in midweek since arriving in January from Manchester City, but experienced midfielder Josh McEachran is likely to come back into the team alongside Conor Coventry in the middle of the pitch.
Ipswich's Kane Vincent-Young came back into the matchday squad against Doncaster after being sent off at the end of last month, but he is likely to remain on the bench, after Dominic Thompson has impressed in the left wing-back role in his absence.
Midfielder Tom Carroll is expected to return to the starting 11 after being replaced by Lee Evans on Tuesday, while Bersant Celina is likely to retain his place in the number 10 role.
Macauley Bonne and Conor Chaplin lead the line for the tractor boys against Doncaster, but strikers Kayden Jackson and James Norwood could come back into the side for the visitors this weekend.
MK Dons possible starting lineup:
Cumming; Lewington, Darling, O'Hora; Harvie, Coventry, McEachran, Watson; Twine, Parrott, Corbeanu
Ipswich Town possible starting lineup:
Walton; Edmundson, Woolfenden, Donacien; Thompson, Bakinson, Carroll, Burns; Celina; Jackson, Norwood
We say: MK Dons 1-1 Ipswich Town
Both sides are in good form which is why it is unlikely either team will lose this weekend, but it is expected to be a low-scoring draw with the two teams not often involved in high-scoring encounters.
With neither team scoring a lot of goals in their matches in recent weeks, they are likely to cancel each other out on Saturday with the spoils being shared in Milton Keynes.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a MK Dons win with a probability of 39.38%. A win for Ipswich Town had a probability of 33.95% and a draw had a probability of 26.7%.
The most likely scoreline for a MK Dons win was 1-0 with a probability of 10.42%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.43%) and 2-0 (6.94%). The likeliest Ipswich Town win was 0-1 (9.53%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.67%). The actual scoreline of 0-0 was predicted with a 7.8% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole correctly predicted a draw in this match.
