Preview: Crawley Town vs. MK Dons

Sports Mole previews Monday’s League Two clash between Crawley Town and MK Dons, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Crawley Town will welcome MK Dons to Broadfield Stadium for the delayed first leg of their League Two playoff semi-final on Tuesday night.

This match was originally due to be played on Monday but was postponed for a day due to a waterlogged pitch, leaving both sets of players having to readjust to the new kickoff time.

The hosts finished the regular campaign in seventh place with 70 points to their name, while the visitors were eight points better off in fourth position.

Match preview
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Crawley crept into the top seven on the final day of the season after they beat Grimsby Town to take advantage of Barrow’s 1-1 draw against Mansfield Town.

Danilo Orsi and Klaidi Lolos both found the net in the first half to lead their side to a 2-0 victory, securing Crawley a place in the EFL playoffs for the first time in their history.

After ending a four-game winless run against Grimsby, Crawley will look to build upon that result in Monday’s crucial home leg as they look to gain the upper hand before they travel to Stadium MK on Thursday.

The Reds have won just one of their last six head-to-head meetings, drawing one and losing four, but that solitary victory did take place in their most recent home clash in August when goals from Nicholas Tsaroulla and Orsi proved enough to clinch a 2-1 win.

However, they have struggled for consistency in their recent outings at Broadfield Stadium, having seen their previous 10 home games result in three wins, three draws and 10 defeats.

MK Dons experienced an eventful end to the League Two season, with their final eight matches producing an average of 5.4 goals a game.

After losing 4-1 to Mansfield on April 13, MK Dons bounced back with a remarkable 5-3 win over Harrogate Town, before they played out an entertaining 4-4 draw in their recent home clash with Sutton United.

As a result of their recent goalscoring exploits, Mike Williamson’s side finished the campaign as the league’s fifth-highest scorers with 83 goals, and they will be determined to utilise that firepower against a Crawley side that has kept just two clean sheets in their last 17 home league games.

However, the visitors will need to tighten up at the opposite end of the pitch after conceding at least three goals in three of their previous four away matches.

MK Dons may be able to draw inspiration from the defensive performance that saw them keep Crawley at bay in December’s 2-0 victory at Stadium MK, which represented their third win in the previous four head-to-head matches.

Crawley Town League Two form:

MK Dons League Two form:

Team News
Crawley boss Scott Lindsey has confirmed that he has a full squad to choose from, with Kellan Gordon and Harry Forster set to return to full training before Monday’s fixture.

Ronan Darcy dropped out of the side for the final-day win over Grimsby, but the 23-year-old is likely to be considered for a recall for the semi-final first leg.

Orsi and Lolos will offer Crawley’s main two goal threats after scoring 32 league goals between them this season.

As for the visitors, they are expected to be without the services of forward Matthew Dennis, who has been forced to miss the last seven matches through injury.

Joe Tomlinson returned from injury to play over an hour against Sutton, and he is set to retain his place in the side, with Williamson likely to stick with the team that started the recent 4-4 draw.

Dean is expected to lead the line against Crawley after scoring 15 goals in 29 league appearances to finish the regular season as MK Dons’ top scorer.

Crawley Town possible starting lineup:
Addai; Wright, Conroy, Maguire; Adeyemo, Williams, L Kelly, J Kelly; Lolos, Darcy; Orsi

MK Dons possible starting lineup:
Kelly; Tucker, O’Hora, Harvie; Lofthouse, Payne, Bate, Tomlinson; Wearne, Gilbey; Dean

We say: Crawley Town 2-2 MK Dons
MK Dons have seen the goals fly in during recent weeks, and we expect more excitement in Monday’s first leg, but we think that the visitors may have to settle for a draw against a Crawley side that has avoided defeat in each of their last three matches.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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