MILLWALL will be looking to bounce back from their wobble when they host Preston North End on Saturday.
Three defeats in a row in all competitions has sucked away some of the optimism that had built over Christmas, when the Lions had won three on the bounce.
But they will still believe they have quality to find their feet again and show the talent that was absent during last week’s dreadful defeat at Queens Park Rangers.
They take on a Preston side who won six of their first eight Championship matches this season but have struggled for consistency ever since.
Ryan Lowe’s side will start the match just five points off the play-off positions and will have the chance to make up ground on their rivals with many not in action due to the FA Cup fourth-round.
Like Millwall, the Lancashire side too will have to lift themselves from the disappointment of the weekend before. Preston impressed away at Leeds United live on Sky Sports and took an early lead through Will Keane before Dan James equalised last Sunday.
It looked like the sides were heading towards a draw at Elland Road before Leeds won a penalty in stoppage time that Joel Piroe converted.
That goal meant Preston have now lost their last three away games and six of their last eight in all competitions.
Their chances of getting back on track at The Den largely depends on which Millwall side turns up. Will it be the team who dominated Middlesbrough for half an hour or the side that laboured to defeat against QPR?
Whoever it is, the game could feature two new Lions signings. Having been substituted on for the final 20 minutes at Loftus Road, Japhet Tanganga will be pushing for more football. New striker Michael Obafemi won’t be starting the game but he’ll be hoping he can make an impact if he does come off the bench for his debut.
Tom Bradshaw, Aidomo Emakhu, Shaun Hutchinson and Ryan Leonard will all be missing through injury while Preston will hope to get some players back with Duane Holmes, Freddie Woodman and Milutin Osmajic missing the Leeds game after being hit with a bug that swept through the camp last week. Jack Whatmough and Ched Evans will be missing with injury.
Preston have failed to beat Millwall in their last nine attempts since a 3-1 victory at The Den in February 2019.
Back in October, Zian Flemming scored a stunning equaliser to help the Lions to a 1-1 draw at Deepdale in the first game after Gary Rowett’s departure as manager.
Before kick-off, Millwall be unveiling the road sign to ‘John Berlyson Way’ at 1.30pm outside of the stadium.
– Stat Station –
- This will be the 75th meeting between Millwall and Preston North End. The Lions have won 34, lost 26 and there have been 14 draws. The biggest Millwall win was a 5-1 home league victory in 1973 while Preston’s biggest was 4-0 in 1971. By far the highest-scoring match between the pair came in 1930: Millwall 5-7 Preston.
- Only 3 of the last 9 league goals Millwall have scored at The Den have come in front of the Cold Blow Lane Stand (Joe Bryan against Hull, Brooke Norton-Cuffy against Huddersfield and Murray Wallace against QPR).
- The Lions had only lost one away game (Norwich) this season before Joe Edwards’ arrival but have now lost five in total (Ipswich, Cardiff, Leicester, QPR). The stats reflect more favourably at home where Edwards has picked up 8 points from 6 home games compared to the 7 points gathered across 8 home games between Gary Rowett and Adam Barrett.
- Millwall are looking to avoid three league defeats in a row for the first time since August 2022. They are also looking to swerve four consecutive losses in all competitions for the first time since January 2022.
- The late penalty Preston conceded against Leeds last week means they have now let in 14 goals in the final 15 minutes of Championship matches this season, second only to Blackburn (19). Millwall have conceded 13 goals during this time period.
- Millwall’s chances of winning at Loftus Road last week were dramatically reduced when Ilias Chair scored to make it 1-0. The last 24 times the Lions have conceded the first goal in a game (all comps), they have failed to win. This run goes back to a 2-1 victory over West Brom last season when goals from Callum Styles and Tyler Burey overturned John Swift’s 20th minute opener.
- The recent acquisitions of Japhet Tanganga and Michael Obafemi means Millwall now have 171 Premier League appearances among the squad (Japhet Tanganga: 50, Joe Bryan: 44, Duncan Watmore: 37, Michael Obafemi: 34, George Honeyman: 6).
- Zian Flemming has scored more goals against Preston than any other side in his career with five in three appearances, including his hat-trick at Deepdale last season. The Dutchman scored against Leicester in the FA Cup earlier this month but is without a Championship goal in 14 appearances.
- Joe Edwards has won 2, drawn 2 and lost 2 of his six home league games in charge so far.
- Preston are currently one of seven Championship teams yet to make a January signing.
- North End have lost 5 of their last 7 Championship matches and 6 of their last 8 in all competitions. They have also kept just 2 clean sheets from their last 23 games.
- Will Keane has scored three goals in the last two games and is the only Preston player to have scored in 2024.
- Millwall are unbeaten in their last nine games against Preston.
Injury List (4)
Shaun Hutchinson – calf – last match: vs Bristol City – January 1 – Potentially back mid-February
Ryan Leonard – hamstring – last match: vs Leicester City – January 6 – Out for six weeks (from Jan 8)
Aidomo Emakhu – ankle – last match: vs Bristol City – January 1 – Out; could return for Coventry City game on February 11
Tom Bradshaw – hamstring – last match: vs Leicester City – January 6 – Out; could return for Coventry City game on February 11
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Suspension Watch – players with two or more yellows so far (10 yellow cards accumulated in the first 37 games result in a two game suspension).
Jake Cooper – 8 (booked against Middlesbrough, Swansea, Plymouth, Sheffield Wednesday, Sunderland, Leicester, Stoke and Norwich)
George Saville – 6 (booked against Stoke, Watford, Sheffield Wednesday, Coventry, Sunderland and Leicester. Sent off against Norwich)
Murray Wallace – 5 (booked against Plymouth, Southampton, Coventry, Leicester and QPR)
Wes Harding – 4 (booked against Birmingham, Hull, Leicester and Stoke)
Brooke Norton-Cuffy – 4 (booked against Birmingham, Plymouth, Watford and Bristol City)
Ryan Leonard – 4 (booked against Plymouth, Cardiff, Norwich and Bristol City)
Ryan Longman – 4 (booked against Rotherham, Swansea, Southampton and Middlesbrough)
George Honeyman – 4 (booked against Ipswich, QPR, Norwich and Middlesbrough)
Danny McNamara – 3 (booked against West Brom, Plymouth and Hull)
Joe Bryan – 3 (booked against Middlesbrough (x2) and Hull)
Billy Mitchell – 3 (booked against Norwich, Stoke and QPR)
Zian Flemming – 3 (booked against Watford, Ipswich and QPR)
Shaun Hutchinson – 2 (booked against Bristol City and Cardiff)
Casper De Norre – 2 (booked against Hull and Ipswich)
Aidomo Emakhu – 2 (booked against Preston and QPR)
Duncan Watmore – 2 (booked against Sunderland and Norwich)