Struggling Tranmere Rovers will host MK Dons in their matchday 32 League Two fixture at Prenton Park on Saturday.
The hosts will be out to snap a seven-game winless run and move further clear of the drop zone, while the visitors will be looking for their first victory in four league matches in a bid to revive their promotion hopes.
Match preview
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Tranmere Rovers have struggled for consistency this season, and that is highlighted by their recent spell without a win.
Having finished in 16th position last season, the hosts have found the current campaign a lot tougher, struggling to put some distance between themselves and the dreaded relegation zone.
Last time out, Nigel Adkins's team held mid-table Fleetwood Town to a 0-0 stalemate in front of their fans, a result that left them 22nd in the standings with 27 points across 30 league matches - a place and four points above the drop zone.
With that result, the Rovers are winless in their last seven fourth-tier fixtures, which include five losses and two draws, with 16 goals conceded in that time.
Failure to win on Saturday will see them go on a run of eight games without a win for the first time since December 2022.
While the Merseyside-based outfit have endured a dismal run in the league, Adkins's team have claimed 19 of their total 27-point haul at home this season, and that bodes well for them against MK Dons, who have lost their last four matches on the road.
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Indeed, Scott Lindsey's MK Dons have lost three consecutive matches since the beginning of February and now sit 15th in the standings with 38 points, 10 adrift of Salford City in the final playoff spot.
At the turn of the year, the Dons were only three points away from the promotion playoff positions, but a run of poor results - which includes six losses, one draw and a solitary win - have seen them fall further down the pecking order.
Hoping to revive their promotion bid with 16 matches left in the current campaign, the visitors have to find a way to turn their fortunes around.
Nevertheless, a four-game losing streak on the road casts doubts on their ability to claim a win, and jolt their promotion bid back to life.
A loss on Saturday will extend their losing streak to five games away from home, and their chances of making the playoffs will certainly be hampered.
Team News
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Nigel Adkins has no new injury worries ahead of the fixture at the weekend, but Brad Walker, Saidou Khan and Regan Hendry remain unavailable due to various injuries.
Meanwhile, Luke Norris, who returned from a spell on the sidelines with a cameo last weekend will be in contention for a place in the team.
However, Adkins is unlikely to tinker with the team that filed out for the Rovers in their last league outing.
Elsewhere, MK Dons defender Nathan Thompson is likely to miss out on the rest of the season, and he is consequently ruled out of this fixture.
In midfield, Liam Kelly, Dan Crowley and Alex Gilbey, the latter of whom has 10 goals this season should provide support for Callum Hendry and Scott Hogan in attack.
Danilo Orsi-Dadomo will be waiting in the wings should the visitors need an extra attacking player in the course of the match.
Tranmere Rovers possible starting lineup:
McGee; Turnbull, Davies, Drysdale; Patrick, O'Connor, Merrie, Garrett, Solomon; Dennis, Davison
MK Dons possible starting lineup:
Trueman, Lemonheigh-Evans, Sanders, Lawrence, Tomlinson; Gilbey, Williams, Crowley; Kelly; Hogan, Hendry
We say: Tranmere Rovers 0-1 MK Dons
Tranmere have been largely inconsistent for most of the season due to the lack of firepower upfront, and leaky defence which has been breached 48 times already this term.
The home side have shipped 16 goals in their last seven league fixtures, and given that the visitors averaged a goal per game in their last four outings, we back MK Dons to claim a slender 1-0 win.
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