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"Carlisle had a great start and have had a little dip in form of late, but it's a long season and nobody will be at the best of their form all of the time. They're going to be dangerous because they'll want to cut their losing streak and get back to winning. It's going to be a tough game against a side I count to be one of the top six teams in this division.
"It was a great performance at Millwall, there are not many teams that are going to go there and do what we did and that should give the players great confidence. We've been to many difficult places, played very well and got good results. We just need to transfer it to our home games. We seem not to be able to have back-to-back wins and that disappoints me. We have to do something about it rather sooner than later.
"It's a bit of a shame that we haven't got a full squad available, but that's what the situation is, we'll have to deal with it and get on with it. I feel a bit sorry for Flavien (Belson) because it wasn't a tough challenge really, he didn't hurt the player and now he's going to be suspended for three games. We have so many games coming up that we'll need everybody on board, fit and ready to step in."
In team news for the Dons, upfront they will be missing both Aaron Wilbraham (ankle) and Cameroon-born Ali Gerba who is on international duty with Canada in Honduras. Meanwhile midfielder Flavien Belson, who is on loan to the club from Metz in France, starts a three-match suspension following his red card for serious foul play in Tuesday's Johnstone's Paint Trophy defeat to Bournemouth.
The last two injury absentees are defender Danny Swailes who is still recovering from undergoing an achilles operation recently, and midfielder Craig Dobson who has developed a stress fracture within his left tibia. Despite having a few injury problems within his squad Di Matteo still allowed veteran centre-half Drissa Diallo to join Cheltenham Town on a one month-loan three weeks ago.
The referee for today's match is Phil Crossley from Bromley in Kent, and he will be assisted down the lines by James Cox from Chalford in Gloucestershire and David Coote from Newark in Nottinghamshire. Meanwhile the fourth official is Steven Cook from Woking in Surrey.