Wycombe Wanderers are set to claim the advantage as they host MK Dons in the first leg of their League One playoff semi-final. The Dons finished above their hosts in the regular season, but Wycombe were near perfect at home in the final weeks of the campaign and should have the edge here.
Wycombe Wanderers went into the final fixture of the regular season needing a win to hold on to the final promotion playoff spot. They claimed a 2-1 victory at Burton Albion last Saturday with Sam Vokes and Jordan Obita getting the goals.
That victory is an extension of Wycombe Wanderers’ fine record in the final weeks of the season as they are unbeaten in their last 12 League One matches. Gareth Ainsworth’s men have claimed eight wins in that run and will be looking to carry that form into the playoffs.
Much of Wycombe’s good work in recent weeks have been done at Adams Park where they have claimed five wins and a draw from their last six matches. Those results have been driven by a solid defence that has kept clean sheets in all six fixtures in that run.
MK Dons looked off colour coming into the final weeks of the season and needed a late blitz to guarantee a playoff finish. Having gone on a three-match winless run, they won their final two matches of the campaign to secure a third-place finish.
Liam Manning’s men were in rampant mood in their final fixture of the regular season and claimed an impressive 5-0 victory at Plymouth Argyle. Scott Twine netted four goals in a fine individual performance while Harry Darling added a fifth.
MK Dons may have won at Plymouth last time out but have not been at their best on their recent travels. They were winless in the previous two away matches, including a 1-0 defeat at Oxford United in their penultimate fixture.
How the bookies view it
Wycombe Wanderers have a slight edge among the bookies with a home win priced at 31/21 by SBK. A victory for MK Dons is valued at 31/21 by BoyleSports while a draw is set at odds of 11/5 by Paddy Power.
Head to head
MK Dons have an 8-3 advantage with three draws from 14 previous matches with Wycombe Wanderers. Wycombe will be out for revenge after the Dons did the double in the regular season, including a 1-0 victory at Adams Park.
Players to watch
Sam Vokes finished the regular season with 16 goals and appears to be heading into the playoffs in good form. The Welsh striker has found the net four times in his last six matches and is priced at 2/1 by bet365 to get on the score sheet on Thursday.
MK Dons also have some attacking quality of their own, particularly with Scott Twine, who is their top scorer with 20 goals. With six goals in his last seven matches, the attacker could be worth keeping an eye on to score anytime at 13/8 by bet365.
Anything else catch the eye?
Wycombe Wanderers are generally solid at the back, particularly at home but may struggle to keep out the likes of Twine in attack for MK Dons. Given their own attacking quality, both teams could be backed to score at 13/17 with SBK while over 2.5 goals is valued at evens by bet365.
Wycombe have opened the scoring in their last four home matches and could be backed to grab the first goal on Thursday at 10/11 with Coral.
This English League One match between Wycombe Wanderers and MK Dons will be played on May 5, 2022 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Wycombe Wanderers vs MK Dons prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
I see home winning 2:1 FT