Portsmouth fell out of the League One playoff places last weekend following a goalless home draw against Derby County.
That result represented their four consecutive league draw, but in cup competitions, they have managed to record a number of victories.
They swept aside Hereford via a 3-1 scoreline to book their place in the second round of the FA Cup, while in their most recent outing, they beat Ipswich 2-0 in the EFL Trophy.
Dane Scarlett found the net moments before half time to give Danny Cowley’s side a slender lead, before Zak Swansonwrapped up the win with a 94th-minute strike, helping Pompey seal their place in the third round of the EFL Trophy.
Pompey will look to maintain their unbeaten home record in all competitions this season when they face MK Dons, although their last five home matches have finished all square after regulation time.
Meanwhile, MK Dons have endured a difficult League One campaign after picking up just 14 points from 18 games, leaving them in the relegation zone.
In their last two league games, they lost 3-1 to both Derby County and Barnsley, and that scoreline was replicated in their midweek EFL Trophy tie against Newport County, but it was MK Dons who managed to emerge victorious on that occasion.
Darragh Burns opened the scoring in the 27th minute before Matthew Dennis and Will Grigg added their names to the scoresheet, ensuring that their side progressed to the third round despite Newport scoring a late consolation thanks to a Jack Tucker own goal.
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Liam Manning will now aim to guide his side to another cup victory on Saturday after MK Dons booked their place in the FA Cup second round with a 6-0 win over Taunton Town earlier this month.
Having avoided defeat in four of their last six away games, MK Dons will be confident of at least taking the second round tie to a replay
Portsmouth are unable to call upon the services of Tom Lowery, Louis Thompson and Jayden Reid due to injury issues, while Joe Morrell is away at the World Cup with Wales.
Cowley rotated his side for the win over Ipswich, but he could name a similar lineup to the one that began the goalless draw against Derby.
