MILLWALL boss Gary Rowett said he will put out a strong side against Leicester City as the Lions aim to reach the fourth round of the League Cup for the first time since 2005-06.
While Saturday’s opponents in the Championship Nottingham Forest have most of this week to plan under new boss Steve Cooper, Rowett is preparing his side to take on Brendan Rodgers’ FA Cup winners.
But it gives Rowett the chance to reintroduce players to competitive football after injury, with Shaun Hutchinson set to be involved. Benik Afobe, George Evans and Danny McNamara have also been training this week.
Jed Wallace and Sheyi Ojo are unavailable through illness.
Rowett was asked if the third round is a useful fixture to have to give minutes to those players despite Forest theoretically having an advantage leading into Saturday.
“It’s a good game for us, we’ve advanced in the cup,” he said. “We had to work hard against Portsmouth and Cambridge and it will be a very different test against Leicester.
“They’ll probably make some changes, they’re in European football and a strong Premier League. But whatever changes they make they’ll be a Premier League side and tactically they give you problems that we’re going to have to try to work out.
“It will be a good game, it’s at home and we want to be really competitive and see if we can get through to the next round.
“We know it will be a big test against a good Leicester side. With the injuries that we’ve got and the illnesses we’re going to have to mix it up a little bit.
“I haven’t got a choice, really, but it will be a strong side.”
Meanwhile, Leicester defender Ricardo Pereira knows his side must be prepared for the atmosphere at The Den.
Millwall knocked the Foxes out of the FA Cup fifth round in 2017 when the Lions were in League One and Leicester were the defending Premier League champions.
But of the Leicester side that started at The Den that day, only Daniel Amartey and Nampalys Mendy are still with the club.
Pereira told Leicester’s official website: “I heard it’s a good atmosphere there, but we have to concentrate on our game.
“When you don’t win the good thing is that you play again in three days.
“You have another game, an opportunity to do better, to change things and change the momentum.
“That’s what we will do on Wednesday. It depends on the mentality you go into the game with.
“If you go in with the wrong mentality it can be difficult, because we have more to lose than them.
“We have to go in with a good mentality and do our best.”
Image: Millwall FC