Sunderland v MK Dons
Sky Bet League One
Stadium of Light
Kick-Off: 3.00pm - Saturday 14th November 2020
Match Coverage
TV/Stream: Full live match coverage available via www.safc.com
Radio: Full live match commentary available via BBC Newcastle (not online)
Don’t forget to follow the blow-by-blow account of the game on the Roker Report Twitter feed (@RokerReport) and check out the player ratings after the full-time whistle at www.RokerReport.com!
Sunderland return to the bread and butter of the League after two cup games, as they look to make it three successive victories on the bounce in League One against an MK Dons side with one win in five.
Phil Parkinson is under pressure to keep up with the early pace setters, and any slip up could see Sunderland begin to lose touch with the two automatic spots.
MK Dons finished five points and two places above the relegation zone last season and after almost a quarter of this season already gone, they again find themselves occupying the same position in the table but now only one point above the drop.
Sunderland and MK Dons have only ever met four times in the history of the two clubs and the north-east have so far won every meeting, something that Russell Martin’s side will be looking to change this weekend.
Sunderland Team News
Back to the serious stuff for Phil Parkinson, and surely we will get back to a more familiar looking side than we have seen in the previous two fixtures in the FA Cup and Papa John’s Trophy.
One or two may have made an impression on the manager over the course of the two games but, other than a return to the first team of Jordan Willis, we could see a starting line-up similar to that what beat Ipswich at the Stadium of Light.
Possible XI: Lee Burge, Jordan Willis, Bailey Wright, Tom Flanagan; Luke O’Nien, Grant Leadbitter, Max Power (c), Denver Hume; Lynden Gooch, Chris Maguire, Charlie Wyke
MK Dons Team News
If we disregard the Papa John’s Trophy fixture against Southampton U21s, Russell Martin’s side only just pipped Eastleigh on penalties after a goalless draw in the FA Cup first round in the previous competitive outing.
This result followed two more draws in League One against Northampton Town and AFC Wimbledon showing they are no pushovers. Only two sides in the bottom half have conceded fewer goals than the club from Buckinghamshire which could make the fixture tighter than League positions suggest.
Possible XI: Fisher, Lewington, Keogh, Williams, Cargill, Kasumu, Fraser, Houghton, Sorinola, Morris, Jerome
Last Time We Met... at the Stadium of Light
Saturday 28th September 2019: Sky Bet League One
Sunderland 2 - 1 MK Dons (Power 24’, O’Nien 28’ - Bowery 55’)
Sunderland: J. McLaughlin, C. McLaughlin, Willis, Lynch, De Bock (Hume), McGeouch, Maguire, Power, O’Nien, Gooch (Dobson), O’Nien, Wyke (Grigg) Substitutes not used: Burge, Ozturk, Flanagan, Leadbitter
MK Dons: Nicholls, Brittain, Lewington, Poole, Martin, Williams, McGrandles, Gilbey (Boateng), Bowery (Agard), Nombe, Houghton (Kasumu) Substitutes not used: Moore, Morre-Taylor, Harley, Dickenson
Attendance: 29,954
Match Betting
Sunderland are favourites at 5/6, an MK Dons victory is priced at 10/3 and 5/2 that they take a point back to Stadium MK.
For a correct score, a close 1-0 victory for Sunderland and a 1-1 draw are favourite scorelines at 5/1, and a Sunderland victory by a more comfortable margin such as 2-0 is 7/1 with a 3-0 at 14/1. MK Dons to get the only goal of the game and win 1-0 is priced at 10/1.
Although we haven’t done it too often, there might be a little value in Sunderland to score in both halves, which is on offer at 23/10.
Match Prediction
Phil Parkinson will no doubt be looking to get back into the routine of League One and no other reason than faith, I think we’ll be straight back on it.
Sunderland 2 - 0 MK Dons