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.
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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.
