Preston v MK Dons

Milton Keynes’ fans must be wondering what they have got to do to earn promotion to the Championship having lost out in the play-offs in three of the last four seasons.

The simple answer is to finish in the top two and that is the challenge for Karl Robinson and his men this term.

And they have made a decent start to proceedings with five wins and two draws from their first nine games to sit in fifth place in the table.

They are currently eight points behind table-topping Tranmere but it is open to question whether the Birkenhead club will sustain its challenge throughout the ten months of action.

Home form has been excellent for the Buckinghamshire outfit but they have struggled on their travels with just five points away from Stadium MK to date and they will want to put that right at Deepdale.

But Preston are no mugs at home with 10 points from their five home games this season and this one has the makings of a tight encounter in Lancashire, with the clubs locked together in the market.

The Dons have drawn their last two league fixtures while Preston beat Doncaster away from home before losing to Oldham on their travels and they will happy to be back on home soil on Sunday.

Shane Cansdell-Sherriff should return to the Preston defence after missing the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy win over Morecambe through suspension, while Akpo Sodje has been tipped to return to the starting line-up after his brace in the Morecambe victory.

MK Dons will have to do without defensive duo Gary MacKenzie, who has undergone hip surgery, and Anthony Kay., who is suspended, while Mathias Doumbe could be in line to make his first start of the season in defence.

Preston are the league’s joint-top scorers at home and so it seems as though Milton Keynes may have to add to their tally of six away goals if they want to come away from the north west with anything this weekend.

Odds: Preston & MK Dons 13/8, draw 23/10

Shrewsbury v Walsall

While Walsall are comfortably tucked away in mid-table the Shrews are in dire need of points as they are hovering dangerously close to the drop zone.

It is true that there are still plenty of games to go but by now the pattern of the season is usually set and it could be a continuing struggle for Graham Turner to keep his side out of the bottom four.

Seven points from a possible 15 at home is not great but by no means a disaster, however it is the club’s form away from New Meadow that is giving cause for concern.

Turner has seen his charges pick up just three points on the road and, while they have managed to secure three draws, it is victories that will guide a team towards safety.

Therefore every home game is vital and they welcome the west Midlanders to Shropshire having not tasted victory since the 4-1 home triumph over Coventry back on September 18.

Two draws and two defeats have followed and it is inevitable that the fans will start to become worried if things do not change sooner rather than later.

And the last team they would want to visit are the away-day specialists from Walsall, who have already taken 10 points from five games on their travels this term.

Had their home form been stronger then Dean Smith’s side could easily have been in the top six by now but they are 11th – just two points short of a play-off place.

But they are not in the best of form heading into the weekend clash having suffered back-to-back home losses in their last two outings while beating Bournemouth on the south coast on September 29.

It could be argued that they will be pleased to get away from the Banks’s Stadium for this one and the Saddlers have a fully-fit squad to choose from, save for Will Grigg, who is on World Cup duty with Northern Ireland.

Shrewsbury will be without injured strikers Terry Gornell and Sam Winnall and it may be that Paul Parry continues up front alongside top scorer Marvin Morgan.

While defeat would not be a disaster for the home side, they will need to get things going quickly and will have to be on their guard against a Walsall side who have made a habit of winning close games away from home.

Odds: Shrewsbury 5/4, Walsall 11/5, draw 23/10

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