MK dons look to go 16 games unbeaten against a “new look” Sheffield Wednesday side
Liam Manning’s men face a strong Sheffield Wednesday side this Saturday at stadium MK, as they look to extended their unbeaten run to 16 games, which would be a record for the club. Both of the sides are certainly in contention for a championship spot in the 22/23 season, with MK Dons currently sat in second, and Sheffield Wednesday sixth. However Mk are not the only side venturing through a purple patch, with Sheffield being unbeaten in six games, including a huge 6-0 victory over Cambridge United. Both sides appear to fully fit, including Milton Keynes young gun Scott Twine, who already has sixteen goals alongside thirteen assists this season, and will certainly be a key player for the Dons this weekend. Sheffield Wednesday had a slight scare in recent days with their captain Barry Bannan picking up a slight niggle in his right knee, but the club have confirmed he will be fit for Saturday.
“We have to go into the game with the same mindset, attitude and same behaviours” said Liam Manning in the build up to this fixture. Head to head stats emphasises the standard of football being played, with the sides crossing each-other in the past on 12 different occasions, MK dons only coming out victorious on two of those occasions, with six draws and four Sheffield Wednesday wins.
There is certainly all to play for in league one, with the gap between automatic promotion and Sheffield Wednesday only being 6 points, with fixtures still to go. The sides faced each-other-in the early stages of the season, with Sheffield Wednesday taking the three points in a 2-1 victory, with Lee Gregory amongst the goals as per usual. Gregory is certainly a player MK will need to keep their eyes on, as his raw pace and eye for the goal has already given him 11 goals this season. A key personal head to head will be between Troy Parrot (right wing) against Liam Palmer (left back), two extremely talented footballers at different ends of their career, with Parrot only being 20 years old, yet still in association with the Ireland national team, and currently on loan to the dons from Tottenham until the summer, has been on fire since singing, scoring 8 goals and 5 assists. Against 30 year old Liam Palmer, who has been nothing but perfect for Sheffield Wednesday this season, his pure strength, agility and experience has made him such a valuable asset in defence, and is certainly going to be a battle worth watching!
A clear difference between the two sides is development of players, Although MK dons are undoubtedly one of the strongest sides in the league, their experience in the dressing room is limited compared to Sheffield Wednesdays, with 7 of the Dons players being under the age of 23, compared to a older Sheffield Wednesday side which has 6 players over the age of 25. Will The experience of Sheffield Wednesday outdo a young MK dons side, or will Liam manning’s men be able to extend their run to 16 games unbeaten?
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