AFTER Millwall won away for the first time this season last weekend, manager Gary Rowett had a message for his players: “Go and back it up.”
The Lions defeated Swansea 1-0 on Saturday and are looking to make it three consecutive league wins for the first time since New Year’s Day when Wigan visit The Den on Tuesday night.
Millwall will be expected to follow up their win at the Liberty Stadium with a victory over the 20th-placed Latics.
However, Rowett said: “I don’t expect to beat anyone. Other people might. Paul Cook’s teams are always up for the fight, they’ve got some good quality there as well.
“Results haven’t gone great for them recently but they’ve been undone by a lot of late goals against them, so it’s not as if their performances over a period of time have been poor.
“We’ll have to be at our best. It’s simple. The challenge for the players is, when everyone’s talking them up a little bit, when everyone’s talking about good performances and you’ve gone away from home to Swansea and got probably an unexpected win, you’ve got to go and back it up now.
“It’s a mental challenge, it’s a physical challenge. We’ve got to go and do it. I’ll be interested to see how we cope with another game with a little bit of expectation.”
Rowett will have Jayson Molumby back if the midfielder comes through training on Monday. Rowett will be without Frank Fielding, Ryan Leonard, Jason McCarthy, Shane Ferguson and Tom Elliott.
Cook’s Wigan are without defender Danny Fox. Cedric Kipre returns after a one-match ban.
Wigan haven’t won in five Championship games, losing four of them, and are yet to win on their travels this season.
Possible Millwall starting XI: 4-4-1-1: Bialkowski; Romeo, Hutchinson, Cooper, M Wallace; J Wallace, Molumby, Williams, Mahoney; Thompson; Bradshaw.
Match odds: Millwall 10/11 Draw 23/10 Wigan 3/1
Image: Millwall FC