MILLWALL will be looking to record their first away win of the season as they travel to South Wales to face Swansea City.
The Lions have won both of their Championship matches at The Den but are yet to register a win on the road in all competitions, losing to Cambridge United and Sheffield United in the Carabao Cup and the league respectively.
Winning away from South Bermondsey has been the major issue for Millwall, who ranked 17th in the division for their away form last season, drawing nine and losing nine of their 23 matches on the road.
If Gary Rowett’s men are to bridge the gap to the top six in 2022-23, they’ll need to pick up far more points in their away matches over the course of the current campaign.
Swansea, however, have to make a bigger improvement than Millwall based on last season’s performance. The Swans finished 15th in the league, 14 points off the play-offs, in Russell Martin’s first season in charge of a Championship club.
There were a lot of positive signs, however, with Martin adopting the same style of play that he used at League One outfit MK Dons. Last season, Swansea boasted the highest average possession percentage in the entire division, registering 2.4% more than runaway champions Fulham.
As a result, their expectations for this season are much higher. The Swans have been listed as one of the promotion favourites by a number of fans and pundits, with striker Joel Piroe amongst the bookies’ favourites for the Golden Boot.
They’re expected to be one of Millwall’s direct rivals for a top-six finish, but are yet to showcase that sort of quality in competitive action this season. Martin’s men drew 1-1 with newly-promoted Rotherham United on the opening day before losing 3-0 at home to Blackburn Rovers and being eliminated from the Carabao Cup by Oxford United on penalties after a 2-2 draw.
Their most recent match saw them secure a 1-0 win, however, earning all three points away at Blackpool on Saturday afternoon thanks to Olivier Ntcham’s late goal.
Regardless of how poorly they’ve started the season, Swansea have a strong recent record against the Lions and will be confident that they can build on their victory in Lancashire. The Swans have won three and drawn two of the last five meetings between the two clubs, and Rowett knows his side will need to be at their very best if they’re to leave the Liberty Stadium with a positive result.
“They’re a possession-heavy side,” the Millwall boss told NewsAtDen.
“We’ve played against them lots of times before. Russell’s teams always move the ball very well, and they’re very unpredictable in terms of some of those patterns. They’re good at what they do.
“What we have to do is to be very good off the ball against them. You have to show a lot of energy and a lot of patience, there’s a time to go and press them high and a time to wait and be more patient. I think you have to get that balance right. Once they keep the ball for such a prolonged period, you can win it back and transition well against them.
“But the game is no different. We’re a Championship side that’ve done well over the last three years, so we’ve got to put our authority on the game too. But they’re a good side, we respect the way they play and their methods. We have to find a way to deal with one or two issues that they cause for any team.”
Millwall will be without Mason Bennett for the match after he picked up a grade two hamstring tear against Coventry. He joins Zian Flemming (knee) and Tom Bradshaw (groin) on the sidelines, with all three set to miss tonight’s match. Andreas Voglsammer is yet to be officially registered, but there’s still a chance that he could receive clearance in time to face Martin’s side tonight if the Lions can get all of the paperwork approved.
Rowett hinted that he would make changes for the match, with Millwall travelling to Norwich City just 72 hours after they kick off against Swansea. It could see the Lions field a new back line after Coventry were able to capitalise on some poor defending to take a 2-0 lead inside 30 minutes at The Den.
One of those changes will likely be forward Tyler Burey, who received significant praise from Rowett after Saturday’s win. He could earn his first start of the season, partnering Benik Afobe up top with George Honeyman sat just behind the front two.
Millwall predicted XI: 5-2-1-2: Bia?kowski; McNamara, Leonard, Hutchinson, Cooper, Wallace; Shackleton, Saville; Honeyman; Afobe, Burey
Match odds: Swansea 7/5 Draw 21/10 Millwall 2/1
Last meeting: Championship (April 5, 2022): Millwall 0-1 Swansea (Piroe 46′)
Photo: Millwall FC