AFC Wimbledon host Milton Keynes Dons at Plough Lane on 17 September 2026 in a League One fixture rescheduled for Sky Sports coverage. Wimbledon sit seventh after six games with 10 points and a goal difference of minus two, while MK Dons are toward the bottom on five points from the same number of matches, still without a win after five draws and one defeat. For Johnnie Jackson's side the job is converting home solidity into consistent points, whereas for Paul Warne the stakes are sharper: six games in and still no league win is the kind of run that, if it continues, stops being a slow start and starts being something more serious.
Jackson has been at Wimbledon since May 2022 and Warne took over at MK Dons in April 2025, so there is no documented managerial history between them, which means this one gets decided entirely on the pitch.
Wimbledon's form is mixed but encouraging. Their 2-0 win at Bromley on 7 September showed they can keep clean sheets on the road and 10 points from six games is a return that reflects a side doing more right than wrong. The 3-0 defeat at Huddersfield in August is a reminder they can be exposed by better opposition, though at home that threat feels more remote. MK Dons have been defined by their draw streak, DDLDD across the opening fixtures, which tells you they are defensively organised but have drawn five games without winning any of them, level at some point in most matches but not converting those moments.
Jackson is without Nathan Bishop through injury and Harry Cornick, still sidelined with a groin problem. Bishop's absence means an untested replacement in goal and Cornick's absence removes their primary option for hold up play and link work in the final third. That pushes more responsibility onto Myles Hippolyte and Jayden Stockley, both on three league goals, with Alistair Smith providing control in central midfield.
Warne has his own fitness concerns, with several players carrying hamstring or knee issues. That further limits his attacking options and makes Aaron Collins even more important: he has five league goals in six games and is comfortably MK Dons' biggest threat.
Wimbledon tend to be compact and set piece focused at home with a capacity to counter quickly. Jackson's system, often a wing back shape with a tight midfield block, has kept them hard to beat at Plough Lane and without Bishop and Cornick he will likely lean harder on Stockley's aerial hold up play to create room for Hippolyte to run in behind, with Smith dictating tempo from deeper.
MK Dons have been hard to break down, which their draw record confirms but they have created little from open play in those five draws. Collins is their most likely route to all three points: if he gets in behind Wimbledon's centre backs on the counter after a Wimbledon corner, he is fast enough to punish them. Hippolyte's pace against MK Dons' full backs offers a similar threat in reverse.
MK Dons hold the historical edge across roughly 18 previous meetings with eight wins to Wimbledon's five alongside five draws. That aggregate advantage favours the visitors on paper, though Wimbledon's superior league position and home ground make it a much less reliable guide than it looks.
Wimbledon have scored from set pieces this season and Stockley's aerial presence makes them a threat at corners and free kicks. MK Dons have defended reasonably from dead ball situations but have created little going the other way and their inability to create from open play will be tested sharply by a Wimbledon side that presses high and transitions well.
We are backing a 1-2 win for MK Dons. Bishop's absence leaves Wimbledon with an untested goalkeeper and Cornick's absence removes their best option for linking attacks in the final third, so Jackson's side go in noticeably undermanned in two positions they have relied on. MK Dons have been hard to score against across their five draws and if Collins scores first, that draw record suggests Warne's side will not throw it away chasing a second. It ends the visitors' winless wait, though Wimbledon will create chances and the margin could easily stay tight until the final whistle.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
