MILLWALL Jake Cooper will be fit for this Saturday’s first home game of the Championship season against Blackburn Rovers.
Cooper has been struggling with a back injury and Murray Wallace started last Saturday in the 1-1 draw against QPR. But Cooper came through 90 minutes in the 2-1 win over Portsmouth on Tuesday.
Mason Bennett is in a protective boot for an ankle injury as he aims to return around mid-October.
Otherwise boss Gary Rowett has lots of options against Tony Mowbray’s side, who started their campaign with a 2-1 home win against Swansea.
One of Millwall’s problems over the last two seasons has been a lack of goals. Rowett will be hoping for more composure in the final third against Rovers after his side failed to add to their lead when they were on top against the Hoops.
“I can remember a couple of times in the first half when Danny [McNamara] gets down the side and maybe just needs to feed a better ball into the box or to pick someone out.
“But you look at people like that – Danny Mac, Dan Ballard – they won’t have played in front of that crowd for a while. A lot of our players wouldn’t have done. So you can understand the swings in the game.
“Our back three were excellent, they were really firm and resolute. Maybe with more energy in midfield we could have supplied our two strikers with more opportunities.”
Millwall supporters are back at The Den for a league game for the first time with no restrictions since February 2020.
Midfielder Maikel Kieftenbeld described his feelings after Jed Wallace opened the Lions’ account for the season at Loftus Road.
“It was incredibly emotional,” Kieftenbeld said. “We as players and the fans, this is why we enjoy football, we were waiting for that moment.
“There was a great build-up to it, from the warm-up when you see the fans for the first time. When the game kicked off it was an amazing feeling, I couldn’t stop smiling.
“And then after the goal from Jed, it exploded. It was an amazing feeling. I think everyone in the Millwall end really enjoyed it.
“It will be my first [league] game in front of the home fans and I don’t have to tell you how much I’m looking forward to that.
“Football is a lot of emotion and I like that about it. Nobody really enjoyed the last year, the fans, players, staff, it was just different. It’s not how you want to play football.
“You want fans back, you want reactions, whether things go right or wrong you just want to hear them.”
Possible Millwall starting XI: 5-3-2: Bialkowski; McNamara, Ballard, Hutchinson, Cooper, Malone; Evans, Kieftenbeld, Saville; J Wallace, Afobe.
Match odds: Millwall 5/6 Draw 12/5 Blackburn 7/5
Last meeting: Championship (March 6, 2021): Millwall 0-2 Blackburn (Dack 18, Gallagher 75)
Millwall: 3-4-3: Bialkowski; Evans, Hutchinson, Cooper; Romeo, Mitchell, Woods, Malone; J Wallace, Bodvarsson, Bennett.
Image: Millwall FC