Check out our 5/1 Carlisle vs MK Dons Bet Builder

With the international break coming towards its conclusion, attention slowly starts to shift back to domestic football - with two EFL matches helping ease English football fans back into action this evening.

League Two’s basement club Carlisle host MK Dons in a game the hosts simply must take three points from if they are to preserve their slim chances of beating the drop. 

Our man Matt Hill (@Matt_Hill93) picks out a 5/1 Bet Builder for the clash.

Carlisle United vs MK Dons betting tips – March 25, 2025

Selection #1 - Carlisle to win - 6/4

Many Carlisle supporters had resigned themselves to non-league after a bitterly disappointing defeat to AFC Wimbledon 10 days ago – yet an unexpected 2-1 victory over Bromley last Saturday has reinstated some cautious belief that a great escape can still be achieved.

The Cumbrians reduced the gap between themselves and safety from nine points to seven at the weekend and now play their crucial game in hand, knowing that a repeat success at Brunton Park this evening will put them within four points of 22nd-placed Tranmere with eight games still to play.

Mark Hughes made a real effort to galvanise home supporters after the full-time whistle on Saturday and did not hesitate to offer a rallying call ahead of this evening’s contest with an MK Dons side who have also endured a season to forget.

Ante post favourites for the League Two title, the Dons find themselves down in a demoralising 18th place with little to play for between now and the season end.

A 1-0 win at Cheltenham last time out shows they are still a capable outfit on their day but on the other hand, two wins from their last 10 fourth-tier fixtures suggests they are not exactly a fearsome opponent either.

Given the magnitude of the game for the hosts, a home win looks worth siding with at 6/4 - which would see Carlisle record back-to-back league wins for the first time in two years.

THREE. MASSIVE. POINTS. pic.twitter.com/VPyhwHZrCH

— Carlisle United FC (@officialcufc) March 22, 2025

Selection #2 - Carlisle to have over 4.5 corners - 4/6

Since Mark Hughes took charge at Brunton Park in early February, he has taken active steps to get the basement club playing with more purpose in forward areas.

While signs of progress have been more apparent in performance levels than results on the whole, the Cumbrians are proving themselves to be reliable when it comes to picking up corners – particularly on home turf.

In Hughes’ five home games so far, Carlisle have picked up 28 corners (an average of 5.6 per game). The only match they failed to cover over 4.5 corners in that sequence was in a battling 1-1 draw with league leaders Walsall, where they still managed four.

On Saturday, the presence of direct wingers Kadeem Harris and Jordan Jones on the flanks, coupled with attacking full-backs in Cameron Harper and Archie Davies, saw the hosts carry a strong threat down the flanks – picking up 7 corners en route to victory.

Hughes is not the type to abandon something that is working, so we can expect a similar haul from the hosts this evening.

Selection #3 - Over 1 card for Carlisle

As is often the nature with a struggling side, Carlisle are also one of the worst performers in League Two’s disciplinary stakes this term.

Only they and Accrington Stanley have achieved the unwanted fate of breaking the three-figure barrier for yellow cards, with 101 cautions in 37 games making for an average of nearly three bookings per game.

Here, they face an MK Dons side who, despite their underperformance in 2024-25, are still brimming with a number of highly technical players well capable of drawing fouls.

The Cumbrians have received two or more bookings in seven of their last eight matches and given the stakes of tonight’s contest, it’s hard to see that changing here.

Though this outcome is only 1/3 on its own, it gives our Bet Builder a nice boost up to a round 5/1, which looks to be a fair quote all things considered.

Matt Hill's Bet Builder tip for Carlisle vs MK Dons

- Carlisle to win

- Carlisle to have over 4.5 corners

- Carlisle to receive over 1 card

This Bet Builder pays a best price of 5/1 with Bet365 at the time of writing.