MK Dons travel to Bournemouth this evening in the second round of this season’s Carabao Cup. This will be the first game in this year’s edition for Bournemouth, while the Dons were 3-0 winners over Charlton Athletic in Round One to get to this stage.
MK Dons Face Premier League Side Bournemouth
Differing Fortunes
You don’t have to go back far to find Bournemouth languishing in the pits of the Football League. What Eddie Howe has done with the club is nothing short of miraculous. The Cherries finished 21st in League Two in the 2008/09 season after a 17-point deduction at the start of the season for their financial problems. Fast-forward to the present day, though, and Howe is in charge of a side that has battled to an unbeaten three-game start of the Premier League in what is their fourth consecutive season at that level.
Back in 2008/09, the Dons reached the League One play-offs having won League Two the previous season. While they lost to Scunthorpe United in the semi-finals, it would set the precedent for a number of solid seasons in League One before promotion under Karl Robinson in 2014/15. Since that one season in the Championship, though, the Dons have suffered two relegations in three years and now find themselves back in the basement league.
Since the last meeting between the two sides, a League One fixture in 2013, Bournemouth have made gigantic progress whilst also heavily improving their financial situation, while MK Dons have stalled in their quest to climb the leagues as fast as possible.
Key Men
Bournemouth
Such is the quality of this Bournemouth side compared to the MK Dons one, considering they are at complete opposite ends of the top four divisions, every player will carry a threat for the Cherries, regardless of whether they are a first-team regular or a youngster trying to make a name for themselves.
It’s hard to gauge what sort of team Eddie Howe will put out as progress in the cup surely isn’t a key objective for him, but he won’t want the team to face the embarrassment of falling to a League Two outfit. The most likely scenario would see those on the periphery of the starting line-up get their chance, with a number of regulars either starting the game or entering it later on to add some match fitness to the team.
Jefferson Lerma, a World Cup player for Colombia and a summer signing from Levante, made the bench for Saturday’s draw with Everton and this could be the perfect opportunity for him to make his first start and gain some match fitness. The defensive midfielder would be the man to control the midfield for Bournemouth should he start, replacing one of Andrew Surman or Dan Gosling in the centre.
Jermain Defoe may see his playing time significantly reduced this season with Joshua King and Callum Wilson ahead of him, and with youngster Lys Mousset making regular appearances off the bench. But if Howe wants to keep his main men fit and ready for the league, this will be an excellent opportunity for Defoe to prove he’s still worth a shot. His quality is undoubted and the MK Dons defence will need to massively improve their already-impressive form to keep him out if he is to play.
MK Dons
There have been numerous top-performers for the Dons so far this season as they sit second in League Two with an impressive defensive record of conceding twice in five games. The defence has definitely been at the forefront of the way that Paul Tisdale wants to play and it will need to be at the top of its game tonight to keep out their Premier League opposition.
Baily Cargill, who the Dons signed from Bournemouth in the summer, was one of those defenders to impress in the victory over Exeter at the weekend, putting in an outstanding performance of composure, covering and overall defensive solidity. It was always likely that Cargill would play in this game anyway, regardless of the opponent, as Paul Tisdale looks to slowly bed him into his new side, but the fact that he faces his former employers makes him one of the key players to look out for tonight.
Prediction
A few years ago, this game may have been much harder to predict than it would be now. Bournemouth are now a regular name in the Premier League and are able to make multi-million-pound signings in every transfer window while the Dons aim to re-start their process of climbing the Football League.
Bournemouth are more than likely going to be the winners by some distance, but that’s not to say that the Dons won’t make them work hard for it. Their fans can dream of an upset, but it might be more about trying to enjoy the night out on the south coast and the prospect of facing a Premier League team rather than enjoying the result of the game.
Prediction: Bournemouth 3-0 MK Dons
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