Roberto Di Matteo

By Oli
February 25 2009

Dons manager Roberto Di Matteo has conceded that top of the table Leicester City are head and shoulders above everyone else in the division - but captain Dean Lewington is confident of giving the Foxes a surprise on Saturday afternoon.

It isn't the first time Robby has played down the Dons' chances before a big game (sometimes to good effect), and if his assessment of the Foxes as a "top six" Championship side is correct, the Dons will be in for their biggest test of the season on Saturday.

He told the MK Citizen: "Leicester for me is really a Championship side.

"They could probably be top six in the Championship and they are very well equipped all over the pitch.

"With Matty Fryatt is a big threat, Steve Howard, Lloyd Dyer, Matt Oakley, it is a good team."

Robby did point out however that Leicester have both the resources and the contacts to make life relatively easy for themselves in League One.

"When they lose one player they just get another in.

"They just got Wayne Brown from Hull and they have others who they have signed from Blackpool and Liverpool – that makes a big difference."

With the Dons struggling badly on the opening day of the season at the Walkers Stadium, the game on Saturday will be a chance for Di Matteo's men to show how far they have come.

"The team has changed quite a bit from the first game of the season when we had a difficult pre-season and the kick off probably came a bit too early for us.

"It was very unsettling at the time as we had players who were leaving and players who were injured. But let's not talk about the past.

"It is going to be a big game and we are looking forward to it as it is one of those games you want to play in as a player.

"I think this game is not only for the fans, it is for us as well as we are still fighting to hold onto our place. It'll be a huge game for everbody involved in the club."

Dons captain Dean Lewington however was in a confident mood while speaking to the MK News, and hopeful that the team's strength going forward would see them give Leicester a good match.

"I think we've surprised a few people including ourselves with where we are. It is such a tight league that if anyone puts a run together you can get there.

"They're very difficult, a very attacking team. We're pretty confident, we're second in the table, we score a lot of goals too.

"We're going to cause them just as many problems as they cause us."

Lewington was also looking forward to playing in a packed stadium:mk, with the atmosphere of a full stadium sure to add even more intensity to the occasion.

"It's nice to play in a stadium like this especially when it's full. I missed out on Leeds game and I was gutted because it was such a great atmosphere it lifts the game, you're sure to get a good game.

"The lads are buzzing to be playing in front of a big crowd."

Dean was not ready to give up on the League One title either, predicting a blip in Leicester that the Dons could pounce on before the season was up. And even if the away side emerge victorious on Saturday, the Dons will continue to chase the league leaders.

"Last year we were miles clear and we had a blip. Every team usually goes through a rough patch, that hasn't happened to Leicester so far. If they beat us we just keep going.

"You like to beat the teams around you but it doesn't really effect us. Consistency rather than one game is probably key to a good season."