What Barnsley can expect from MK Dons on Saturday

On Saturday Barnsley welcome MK Dons to Oakwell for the League One fixture. The reds currently sit in 8th place, two places and one point off the play offs whilst the visitors sit in 21st, one point off the bottom.

Michael Duff`s side has bounced back from a poor run of results in October with three victories against Forest Green Rovers, Bolton (FA Cup) and at Shrewsbury Town. Barnsley has the joint best defensive record in the league along with Bolton Wanderers, keeping 8 clean sheets and only conceding one away goal in the second half of matches so far in 2022-23.

MK Dons have won four games this season, three have come on the road with victories at Charlton, Oxford and Morecambe which gives the reds food for thought.

We asked MK Dons fan Ross Duffy from the MK Dons podcast The MK1 Podcast for his thoughts ahead of Saturday`s game.

What can Barnsley fans expect from this MK Dons side on Saturday in terms of formations and style of play?

We’re a possession based team who like to try and play with purpose going forward. We’ve tried multiple formations this year, but recently we’ve been playing 3-4-2-1 with two wide forwards that come on the inside when needed. At times we get into scenarios where it’s high risk – high reward, but it’s the way we play.

Although MK Dons have only won 4 games this season, 3 have come on the road (Oxford, Morecambe & Charlton). Why is your away form better than your home form & should reds fans be worried about Saturday?

Obviously, there’s an element of less pressure away from home and maybe it allows the players the freedom to play. Personally, performances recently are improving and I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t be happy with a point on Saturday.

Given the league positions of Barnsley & MK Dons, can you spring a surprise on Saturday?

We’re definitely capable of getting a result, but we’ve struggled with the consistency within our performances, so I guess time will tell.

MK Dons have some notable experienced players within the squad, namely Will Grigg at 31 & Bradley Johnson at 35. What do they bring to your team?

Will Grigg – Fox in the box type of striker who if given half a chance, he will score. A player who covers a lot of ground up top and always one to motivate the less senior players if needed.

Bradley Johnson – Plays more as the deeper midfielder who tries to make the team tick. Does both sides of the game but also, does have quality when taking set pieces.

How big a miss is losing Matt Smith to the Wales world cup squad?

Our manager Liam Manning has settled with roughly the same team for the past couple of games and Smith basically hasn’t found himself as a starter. He’s featured more off the bench, so I wouldn’t say he’s a big miss, but I wish him all the best in Qatar.

What are your expectations for the season?

I think with the high turnover of players and departures of last season, we are beginning to see the team us fans want to see in terms of what we see on the pitch. But this is a results game and ultimately you get judged on that, but I think overall this season I want us to get mid table – top half and have some momentum going into next season.

Give us your score prediction for Saturday.

1-1

You can follow Ross on Twitter @rossduffy_