Both Salford City and MK Dons would have had eyes on promotion before a ball was kicked in League Two, but each side has endured a difficult start to the campaign, sitting on two and three points respectively.
A win would kickstart one of these sides’ season, making this clash an intriguing one.
The clash will be shown live on Sky Sports Football in the UK.
The Ammies’ tussle with MK Dons will kick off at 20:00 on Monday 2nd September at the Peninsula Stadium in Salford, England.
The hosts are yet to win a match this term, losing three times and drawing twice, and their struggles in front of goal are a huge reason why.
Salford have netted just one goal this season, with all three of their losses coming to nil, although they were much-improved when taking a point - and scoring a goal - at Chesterfield last time out.
MK Dons had endured a similarly difficult start to the campaign prior to their last fixture, losing three matches in a row, with a 5-0 cup thrashing from Watford sandwiched between their two league defeats, but they turned on the style to beat Carlisle 3-0 last Saturday.
The Dons will be feeling quietly confident after doing the double over Salford last term, winning the two meetings by an aggregate score of 7-3.
Salford City wins | 0 |
Draws | 0 |
MK Dons wins | 2 |
* H2H stats refer to all competitions
Read the latest tips, predictions and odds for Salford City v MK Dons
Ossama Ashley was withdrawn against Chesterfield last weekend but has recovered in time to be in contention for Monday’s match along with fellow midfielders Matthew Lund and Ryan Watson.
However, the game has come too soon for Liam Shephard, while Curtis Tilt is suspended and Kevin Berkoe will be out for at least a few more weeks.
Key man Liam Kelly is back following a three-game absence, but Jonathan Leko and Matt Dennis are out and Luke Offord is a doubt after being forced off against Carlisle last weekend.
Joe White, Kane Thompson-Sommers and Sonny Finch were all signed on deadline day and could feature in some way, so long as they were registered in time.