MK Dons are back in League One after a season away, and the welcome mat is already looking frayed. They played Fleetwood in their recent League Two outing and have failed to keep a clean sheet in seven of their last nine league games. That is a wobble. That is a defence being asked to hold a line it cannot hold. The 0-1 loss to Walsall in the brief? Not here, but the pattern is clear: they concede, they chase, they tire. At Ashton Gate? No, this is Stadium MK, but the nerves of a first home game back in the third tier will be real. They have attacking intent — a 3-5-2 shape that pushes wing-backs high — but intent without a clean sheet is just a hope.

Huddersfield arrive with a point to prove and a problem to solve. Bali Mumba is suspended after a red card for a high challenge last weekend — that is a real blow to their wing-back threat. But this is a squad with Championship pedigree and depth. They drew 1-1 with Blackburn recently, a solid result against higher-league opposition, and they will feel this is a winnable away day. The Terriers are not flying, but they are steady. They do not lose many. They grind. And in a tight League One opener, grinding is a superpower. Momentum? Slight edge to the visitors, who have the calmer heads and the deeper bench. MK Dons have the emotion of a homecoming; Huddersfield have the professionalism of a side that knows how to manage a game.