MK Dons head into Wednesday's encounter with Plymouth Argyle sitting just two points adrift of their fourth-placed opponents in the League One standings.
While the home side have won four of their last five games, the visitors have posted three defeats in succession.
Match preview
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Although MK Dons have not been able to record back-to-back victories in all competitions since September, it has been a different story for Liam Manning's side in the third tier.
Three triumphs in a row came between October 30 and November 20, and although a late 2-1 defeat at Sheffield Wednesday was a blow, MK Dons responded with the 4-0 demolition of Morecambe in the following contest.
Sitting four points behind top spot with a game in hand on some of the clubs above them, Manning will be delighted with their current standing, but there is a feeling that there is still more to come.
By the time that Wednesday comes round, MK Dons would have enjoyed a week's break, their last outing coming in the EFL Trophy where they prevailed on penalties at Leyton Orient.
Top goalscorer Scott Twine has been superb in his last four outings, contributing three strikes and four assists.
At a time when MK Dons have very much been on an upward trajectory, the same cannot be said of their opponents with Plymouth losing three successive league games.
Steven Schumacher's side remain just two points adrift of the leaders, an indication of how well they have been performing until the middle of November, and everyone associated with Argyle will hope their FA Cup win at the weekend gets them back on track in the long term.
A goal four minutes from time from Luke Jephcott secured a 2-1 victory at Rochdale, the player overcoming the disappointment of his early withdrawal in the previous game for tactical reasons.
While a total of four defeats have been posted since the start of September, just one has come away from Home Park, that sole setback coming at a resurgent Charlton Athletic last month.
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Team News
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With widespread changes having been made for the game in the EFL Trophy, the MK Dons XI should resemble the side which breezed to victory at Morecambe.
Troy Parrott will not be involved after his dismissal in the Orient game, but the Republic of Ireland international would have only been named on the substitutes' bench had he been available.
Although Hiram Boateng is a potential alternative in midfield, the playmaker will likely have to make do with a spot among the replacements.
After coming through 55 minutes at the weekend, George Cooper may drop down to the Plymouth substitutes' bench with Schumacher unlikely to take any risks on the left wing-back.
Ryan Law should deputise on Wednesday night, while Jephcott will feel that he deserves a recall in place of Jordon Garrick or Ryan Hardie.
MK Dons possible starting lineup:
Fisher; O'Hora, Darling, Lewington; Kioso, McEachran, Robson, Harvie; O'Riley, Eisa, Twine
Plymouth Argyle possible starting lineup:
Cooper; Wilson, Gillesphey, Scarr; Edwards, Broom, Houghton, Mayor, Law; Jephcott, Hardie
We say: MK Dons 2-1 Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth have shown regularly this season that they have the quality to challenge for promotion, and their previous confidence should return at some stage. Nevertheless, we do not expect it to occur on Wednesday, leading us to predict an important victory for the home side 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 44.91%. A win for Plymouth Argyle had a probability of 30.46% and a draw had a probability of 24.6%.
The most likely scoreline for a MK Dons win was 2-1 with a probability of 9.2%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-0 (9.14%) and 2-0 (7.26%). The likeliest Plymouth Argyle win was 1-2 (7.33%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.57%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with an 11.6% likelihood.
