League One Tips: Dons and Oxford set for more misery this weekend

• Alan had two from four on Tuesday

• Wednesday entertain MK Dons

• Oxford look in trouble under Robinson

More misery on the Sheffield road for Dons

Sheffield Wednesday v MK Dons
Saturday 18th February, kick-off 15:00

Another day and another ruthlessly efficient performance from Sheffield Wednesday on Tuesday with a 3-0 win against Morecambe at Hillsborough to keep tabs on Plymouth - who also won in midweek. And while Wednesday are looking good for the title, it's far from a gimme at the moment with the way the Greens keep coming back.

The Owls set a club record on Tuesday with their 18th clean sheet of the season - although a game too late for me as I had plumped for them to keep one the Saturday before. That's a fairly formidable record, though.

If that outlook paints a grim picture for the Dons, their historic stats from Opta also look rather bleak as they are yet to beat Sheffield Wednesday as a visiting side in the Football League (D3 L2), losing on two of their last three trips. It doesn't look good does it?

Add to that, I didn't fancy them at all at Bolton on Tuesday for the midweek column citing Mark Jackson as a fair from convincing appointment, and they were hammered 5-0.

It's not often five defenders would score in a game, but that's exactly what the Trotters did in midweek and set a club record with back-to-back 5-0 wins for the first time since 1920.

MK were dismal at the back, truly shocking and the only plus I can point to for them this Saturday is that 19 of MK Dons' 29 points in League One this season have come in away games, the highest such ratio in the division this term (66%).

The visitors are missing three players at the back and considering they conceded three goals on Tuesday from corners, they look bang in trouble for this weekend.

Wednesday have conceded just 11 times at Hillsborough this season, we have to look at markets for the clean sheet, as the hosts are very short on the Sportsbook at 2/5, and rightly so.

The Both Teams To Score at 4/6 is a little shorter than usual, but I like Wednesday to cover the Handicap for this one.

The MK Dons +1 market with Wednesday -1 looks a sound play at around 2.47/5 on the Exchange and the Wednesday HT/FT at 11/10 on the Sportsbook makes the punting list.

If you are seeking out a Bet Builder play, Josh Windass bagged a couple in midweek and doubling him to score first with the BTTS 'No' pays out around 7/1 for a multiple.

KEY OPTA STAT: MK Dons are yet to beat Sheffield Wednesday as a visiting side in the Football League (D3 L2), losing on two of their last three trips.

Stanley in dire need of a point

Accrington Stanley v Shrewsbury Town
Saturday 18th February, kick-off 15:00

Accrington's home form down the years has always had them in good stead for a mid-table finish, but that has deserted them this season and Stanley are down in the bottom three and facing a fight for their League One survival.

They are now 1.664/6 in the Relegation market on the Exchange, and it doesn't look good with only three wins at home all season.

Shrewsbury are surprisingly in a top half place, and Steve Cotterill has done well considering the limited resources at his disposal. Although since winning his first Football League game against Accrington as Notts County manager, Cotterill has failed to win any of his five encounters while in charge of Shrewsbury (D3 L2). He needs to right that wrong.

Accrington make little appeal at just over 2/1 for this as they have won just one of their last 10 league games (D4 L5), and are winless in five since beating Bristol Rovers 2-0 in January.

Cotterill's team have won six times on the road this term with four draws, and while not big enough in price for the Double Chance bet, they have won six of their last seven games - and that includes four clean sheets from four with wins at Burton, MK Dons and Oxford.

This match pits a side improving against one that is running out of gas in this league, and Cotterill's reflected on his team's progress earlier in the month against Oxford when he said: "I think the squad have taken massive steps but it has taken a long time because there were a lot of players here and a lot of players in contracts and it has been incredibly hard work."

Johnno Coleman's team have drawn four of their last seven (without a win) and they need to get a point to try and salvage something, and for that reason I am edging to the draw for this one, as the Shrews look a little too short for the win bet on the road, albeit they are in form.

The visitors xG output of 1.01 is very low for a top half side on the road, but Accrington's x is higher than their "goals for" number and the Draw and Under 1.5 Goals is worth taking a chance on at 13/2 on the Sportsbook.

KEY OPTA STAT: Accrington Stanley are unbeaten in each of their last six Football League games against Shrewsbury (W3 D3), keeping a clean sheet in each of the last three.

Is Robinson's time coming to an end?

Cambridge United v Oxford United
Saturday 18th February, kick-off 15:00

Karl Robinson usually likes a bit of hyperbole, but it's lacking this season with Oxford who are nowhere near the play-offs at the moment and a return of 36 points thus far is poor.

They've been far too inconsistent and their away record has seen them draw and lose more games than wins (W4 D6 L6) on the road, and that makes them vulnerable for this weekend's trip to the Abbey.

Cambridge are a fairly horrible side to play against - they go long, they are direct, and they are big. Three points this weekend would pull them out of the bottom three if results elsewhere go their way, and Oxford with a loss could be getting dragged into a battle.

"The fans who criticise me, I'm letting them down. Those who support me, I'm letting them down. I'm letting everybody down right now," said Robbo in the face of calls from some fans who want him sacked.

Another defeat for Robinson (and it's currently six losses from seven) might prompt another managerial change in the division, we'll see, but his players are badly lacking confidence.

Mark Bonner's team are without a win in eight, and I don't think I have ever backed the U's for a win this season in the column, and if I was this weekend, I would want more than the 23/20 on offer. That's more a reflection of where Oxford are.

I'll take the draw here, and potentially a low-scoring one too. Cambridge were good enough to repel Ipswich recently 1-1 at home, and Oxford recently managed a 1-1 at the hopeless MK Dons, and it could be worth playing the 0-0 and 1-1s here on the Correct Score market, as both are lacking any sort of confidence, a wins.

Oxford according to Opta, have only won one of their 12 Football League away fixtures against Cambridge, winning 2-1 in March 1995 (D6 L5), and are without a win in their last eight such games (D4 L4).

KEY OPAT STAT: Oxford have taken just one point from their last 18 available in League One (D1 L5), a 1-1 draw with MK Dons in their last away match.