Tottenham vs MK Dons preview: Team news, predicted line-up, how to watch

Tottenham Hotspur open their pre-season schedule against MK Dons on Wednesday afternoon.

It will offer Roberto De Zerbi the first chance to take a proper look at his players ahead of the 2026-27 season, which many are expecting to be far better than last term.

This fixture will also be Tottenham's warm-up match before they jet off on their tour of New Zealand and Australia.

Spurs will play Aukland FC, Sydney FC and Chelsea whilst they're over in the Southern Hemisphere, before returning home for games against Getafe and two clashes with Hoffenheim before the Premier League starts.

The Dons should provide an honest test for the Lilywhites, and they could be sharper than Tottenham as well given this isn't their first run out of the summer.

So, ahead of Wednesday's match, Tottenham News has got you covered with everything you need to know before kick-off.

MK Dons: how have they performed in pre-season so far?

A decade ago MK Dons were a Championship outfit, now Paul Warne's side are preparing for their first season back at League One level in three years.

The Dons finished second in League Two last season, earning themselves automatic promotion to England's third tier with a total of 86 points, just one behind champions Bromley.

Warne typically deploys his time with three centre-backs, but tends to differ with his wing-backs/midfield structure ahead of them.

Dons will test Spurs' defence, with no League Two side last season bettering their 1.9 goals per game average, whilst they also finished second for expected goals (xG - 73.9) and fourth for shots on target per game (4.6), as per FotMob.

Their danger man up top is veteran striker Callum Paterson, who fired home 16 times and provided eight assists in League Two last term, whilst central midfielder Alex Gilbey is another to keep an eye on, with him netting 12 and providing four assists last year.

They've played two games in pre-season so far, beating National League South side Maidenhead United 4-1 before losing 2-1 to Croatian outfit Istra 1961 last time out.

The last time these two sides met was in a pre-season friendly back in July 2021, and Spurs ran out 3-1 winners that day.

So, how might we expect Tottenham to line-up against the newly-promoted League One side?

Tottenham predicted starting XI vs MK Dons

De Zerbi does, in typical Tottenham fashion, have some injuries in his squad as their pre-season campaign begins.

Tottenham News has been tracking Dejan Kulusevski's fitness ahead of pre-season, but it's not expected that the Swede will play any part against MK Dons.

Of course, the same can be said for long-term absentees Wilson Odobert and Xavi Simons, whilst Ben Davies is also unlikely to be involved.

In goal then, this seems like a good opportunity for De Zerbi to take a first look at new signing Martin Dubravka, after joining on a free transfer this summer.

At the back, youngster James Rowswell could start at right-back and Souza at left-back, whilst Ashley Phillips and Jun'ai Byfield might be the centre-back pairing.

In midfield, Callum Olusesi and Archie Gray could be the central midfield pairing, flanked by Mikey Moore and Manor Solomon on the wings and possibly Rio Kyerematen in the 10 spot.

Then leading the line, perhaps this could be a good chance for De Zerbi and his Spurs coaching staff to take a closer look at Dane Scarlett, before potentially making a transfer decision on his future this summer.

The first pre-season game is always an exciting point in the footballing calendar for supporters, but how can Tottenham fans tune in to this one?

How to watch Tottenham vs MK Dons

Unfortunately for fans of both teams, Tottenham and MK Dons' friendly is being played behind closed doors at Hotspur Way.

As such, the only way for supporters to watch the action live is through Tottenham's SPURSPLAY subscription service.

Tottenham season ticket holders, One Hotspur+ and standard One Hotspur members can claim free access to SPURSPLAY as part of their memberships.

Alternatively, fans can purchase an annual SPURSPLAY subscription for £45, which will then give supporters the ability to watch all of Tottenham's pre-season games live this summer.