Form
MK Dons secured promotion back to the third tier last season after finishing runners-up in League Two, only one point behind champions Bromley. Promotion ended their three-year spell in the fourth tier, having suffered relegation in the 2022/23 season when they finished 21st in League One.
The Dons have had a tough start to the season and are still chasing their first win, having drawn six and lost one of their first seven matches, placing them 22nd. Their last league game saw them draw 0-0 away to rivals AFC Wimbledon, however they claimed an impressive 7-1 victory against Brentford under-21s in the EFL Trophy during the week.
The two sides last faced each other in the league during the 2015/16 Championship season. However, they did meet in last season’s EFL Trophy, with Reading claiming a 1-0 home win after a goal from Sean Patton.
The boss
Paul Warne: Warne took over as MK Dons manager in April last year, replacing Scott Lindsey, who was sacked after only five months in charge.
Warne had a 15-year career as a player, as a midfielder, representing the likes of Wigan Athletic, Rotherham United, Oldham Athletic and Yeovil Town. He ended his playing career at Rotherham and took up a coaching position with the Millers, before becoming caretaker manager in November 2016.
Following a successful caretaker spell, Warne was named full-time manager the following January. He spent almost six years in charge at Rotherham and won three promotions from League One in 2018, 2020 and 2022.
Warne went on to join Derby County in September 2022 and spent just over two years with the Rams, guiding them back to the Championship in his second season after finishing runners-up in League One.
He was sacked by Derby in February 2025 and was only out of the game for two months before joining MK Dons. The 53-year-old won promotion in his first full season at the Dons, after finishing runners-up in League Two.
Warne likes his sides to play direct, high-intensity football.
Squad
A total of 10 players came through the door at Stadium MK this summer, with seven signing permanently and three joining on loan.
Five of those players were signed on free transfers – including defenders Charlie Goode and Cohen Bramall, midfielders Dan Barlaser and Ryan Wintle and winger Sam Silvera.
They also completed two signings for undisclosed fees with goalkeeper Will Dennis arriving from Bournemouth and forward Sam Nombe rejoining the club from Rotherham. Their loans were defender Elijah Campbell, who joined from Everton; and midfielders Ryan Barnett and Ibrahim Fuller, who came in from from Championship sides Wrexham and Charlton Athletic.
Expected setup
Formation: 3-1-4-2
Style: Direct, high press
Lineup: Dennis, Goode, Nelson, Campbell, Wintle, Paterson, Crowley, Gilbey, Bramall, Nombe, Collins
Key player
10. Aaron Collins: Forward Collins joined MK Dons in June last year from Bolton Wanderers for an undisclosed fee.
He came through the youth system at Newport County and made his professional debut in 2014. Collins moved to Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2016 but never made a first-team appearance for the club. He did have a series of loans away from Wolves, playing for the likes of Notts County, Tranmere, Maidstone and Newport.
Permanent moves to Morecambe and Forest Green Rovers followed before he signed for Bristol Rovers in 2021. Collins spent two and a half seasons at Rovers, scoring 39 goals in 139 appearances.
He moved to Bolton in February 2024, but signed for MK Dons just over a year later. The 29-year-old has scored 16 goals for the Dons since joining, with eight of those coming this season. Collins can play as a striker or out wide and is a strong dribbler and finisher.
One to watch
17. Sam Silvera: Winger Silvera signed for MK Dons this summer on a free transfer, following the end of his contract at Middlesbrough.
He started his career in Australia and made his professional debut in 2019 at Central Coast Mariners. A move to Portugal with Pacos de Ferreira followed in 2020, however Silvera re-signed for the Mariners in 2022.
Silvera moved to England in 2023, with Middlesbrough, where he made 65 appearances, while also spending time on loan at Portsmouth and Blackpool, where he spent the second half of last season.
The 25-year-old has represented Australia at under-23 and senior levels, making his Socceroos debut in 2023. Silvera is a winger who typically plays on the left and is a strong dribbler, with pace.