STOKE City boss Nathan Jones is warning his players they will need to be “right at it” when they face Millwall at The Den this Saturday.
Millwall need a win to all but ensure they secure their safety in the Championship, against a Potters side with little to play for but who drew 2-2 at home to leaders Norwich City on Monday.
It’s the second time Lions boss Neil Harris and Jones will be in opposition as managers, after Millwall’s 3-1 win over Luton Town in the EFL Trophy in 2016.
That result saw Millwall top Group H, but Luton went further than them in the competition that season, losing a semi-final 3-2 to Oxford.
Stoke defeated Millwall 1-0 in December (above) under Gary Rowett, who was sacked and replaced with Jones in January.
Jones is looking forward to the test against Harris this weekend.
“He’s a good friend of mine, actually,” Jones revealed. “I played against him many times and if I’m honest he manages as he played.
“You know exactly what kind of test you’re going to get.
“We did come up against them [in the EFL Trophy] although it was completely different because we made 11 changes in that competition.
“It will be a tough game. It always is when you play Millwall, no matter what stage of the season or wherever you play them.
“Saturday will be no different. They are all tough games.
“We’ve had two tough games, put in two good performances and not really had the points we deserve because we could have won both games. That would be greedy because, in the Norwich game, it was a good game and a point was fair. I thought we were totally dominant against Middlesbrough.
“It will be a different game in terms of ends of the table, but in terms of what’s required, it’s exactly the same.
“The Den, the New Den, the Old Den, whatever Den you go to, it’s a tough place. The atmosphere there demands a certain performance from the players and we know we’ll have to be right at it.”
Image: Millwall FC