Grimsby Town boss Michael Jolley hopes for a “balanced” team performance against MK Dons in Sky Bet League Two at Blundell Park on Saturday (3pm).

The Mariners play host to Paul Tisdale’s side, who sit in fifth-place in Sky Bet League Two, this weekend, with Town looking to record their first league points of 2019.

And Town boss Jolley says his side must have a balance of clinical attacking play and a good defensive structure against MK Dons this weekend.

Speaking on iFollow Mariners, he said: “We go into the game as underdogs, given their league position and ours, and we know we’re going to have to be at – or near – our best to get a result.

“MK Dons are a really good side at this level. They’ve got Paul Tisdale, who is one of the best managers at this level, and he’s had great longevity and a great track record of success.

“And he’s doing a fine job there with a fine squad of players, so it will be a difficult task.

“We need to have a good balance to our play, in terms of effective attacking play – we need to create some chances, and get ourselves on the scoresheet, clearly.

“And we need to balance that off with some resilient and good defensive play, so that’s the objective going into most games, and that’s something we need to deliver on Saturday.”

Town are unbeaten in two games against MK Dons this season, picking up a 1-1 league draw at Stadium MK, and a 3-1 Emirates FA Cup first round win at Blundell Park.

But Jolley believes the Mariners’ two previous results against MK Dons will have no bearing on this Saturday’s game.

He said: “We’ve played them twice already, and we’ve drawn down there and we beat them in the FA Cup

“So I think they know they’re in for a tough game as well, but we know it’s going to be a tough one for us.

“Of course that’s a good reference point for us, but I think MK Dons have moved on since then, and so have we.

“No two games are the same, and we take absolutely nothing for granted about playing MK Dons.”

The Mariners will wait to make an injury assessment on Elliot Embleton, Danny Collins, and Harry Cardwell ahead of the game, while Akin Famewo and Elliott Whitehouse remain out.