Fleetwood Town v AFC Wimbledon: Prediction, Tips and Odds

AFC Wimbledon jumped to second place in League Two on Saturday with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Salford City and will now be looking to cement their automatic promotion claims by winning at Fleetwood Town three days later.

Boasting by a mile the best defence in the division they will be confident though also wary of a Fleetwood side who have become far stronger at home under Peter Wild.

Fleetwood Town v AFC Wimbledon betting tips and predictions

Draw @ 21/10

Much is rightly being made of Burnley's incredible defensive fortitude in the Championship, but AFC Wimbledon's clean sheet haul a couple of tiers below also needs proclaiming.

Since a 1-0 loss at Chesterfield four days before Christmas, the Dons have played 10 matches, lost none of them and kept clean sheets in seven of the last nine.

They have kept the opposition out in a division-high 16 matches this term with a spirit and organisation that demonstrates why they are so confident that they are heading back to League One for the first time in three seasons.

One of those clean sheets was against Fleetwood in August, a 1-0 win, but that was a different time against a different side.

Fleetwood back in the summer were under the stewardship of Charlie Adam, who had brought the Cod Army down from League One, but who was entrusted to mount a promotion charge.

A run of one win in 12 going into Christmas suggested that task was beyond him and he was fired with ex-Barrow boss Pete Wild brought in to get the club up and running again.

And Fleetwood have improved, especially at home. Under Wild, they have played 10, winning four and losing four.

Among the wins have been a couple of real eye-catchers - 2-0 at Salford and 2-0 at home to Walsall. Among the defeats have been a pair of horror shows - 4-2 at Morecambe and, worst of all, 2-1 at home to Carlisle United.

They haven't scored in their last two - a 0-0 draw at Tranmere Rovers and 1-0 loss at Bromley - but their home record under Wild of three wins, one draw and one defeat is encouraging.

They are nine points out of the play-off places which may look a colossal void, but much the same was said to Doncaster Rovers last season and they refused to listen.

They aren't scoring many goals but then neither are the Dons under Johnnie Jackson.

Eleven of Wimbledon's last 13 matches across all competitions have produced two goals or less, so don't be surprised if this isn't another.

They did beat Crewe Alexandra 3-0 last week, but the game was goalless when Alex were reduced to 10 men towards the end of the first half.

The South London side have scored 43 goals and, while they aren't quite a one-man strike force, Matt Stevens has scored 16 of those, most recently Saturday's winner in the 1-0 success over Salford City.

Fleetwood's top scorer, meanwhile, eight-goal Ronan Coughlin, is out for the season.

Both sides play a 3-5-2 set-up and it would be no great surprise to see them cancel each other out.

Under 0.5 First Half Goals @ 5/4

There is a temptation to play the no goalscorer card at 6/1 - Fleetwood have been involved in five 0-0 draws this season, Wimbledon three.

There's a greater incentive perhaps to go with under 0.5 first-half goals at 5/4.

In Wimbledon's 14 away matches in League Two this season there have been just 11 goals scored in the first half, while Town's 16 home matches have yielded a modestly higher 20 first-half goals.

Two of the Dons' last three away games have ended 0-0, so the tone is being set for another low-scoring duel.

Corner matchbet - Fleetwood @ 6/5

The onus has to be on Fleetwood to be positive, not only as the home side, but also following a pair of disappointing away results at Tranmere and Bromley.

They average 5.6 corners per home game and chalked up six at Bromley on Saturday.

The Dons concede 4.5 away from home and win 4.9. In their last away game - a 0-0 draw at Accrington Stanley - they mustered just a pair of corners.

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Fleetwood Town v AFC Wimbledon odds

Fleetwood Town - 2/1
Draw - 21/10
AFC Wimbledon - 7/5

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.