MILLWALL will be trying to take their excellent home form to the north-east when they take on Sunderland in their penultimate away game of the season.
The Lions have almost mathematically salvaged Championship safety after back-to-back wins at The Den over Leicester City and Cardiff City delivered a crucial six points.
With four wins from five home games under Neil Harris and improving performances to boot, the goal for Millwall is to now find that same level away from home where they have lost three in a row.
The Black Cats have nothing left to play for and have just two wins from their last twelve games. A promising season unravelled after baffling and ill-fated decisions were taken at boardroom level.
Tony Mowbray was sacked days after Sunderland drew 1-1 at The Den in December when they were just three points off the play-offs.
Michael Beale was then dismissed just twelve games into his tenure after he proved unpopular with the fanbase and lost half of his matches in charge.
Mike Dodds has since been left in interim charge to oversee a season that has been drifting to an inevitable mid-table finish for some time.
It’s far cry from the adventure Sunderland fans were taken on last season when they finished in the play-offs at Millwall’s expense but lost in the semi-finals to Premier League-bound Luton Town.
They will now be looking forward to the next campaign and will hope to hang onto their prized possessions like Jack Clarke, who has fifteen goals and four assists this season.
The Black Cats will also need to decide on the future of former Millwall star Callum Styles. Having spent last season on loan at The Den, Styles is now on loan at Sunderland from Barnsley and has performed well in recent games against Leeds United and West Bromwich Albion.
Duncan Watmore could also face his former side after his impactful substitute performance against Cardiff City while George Honeyman is fighting to also return to the Stadium of Light but his fitness hangs in the balance.
Millwall know a win would guarantee their Championship status but, with a six-point buffer to the relegation zone and plenty of sides below them, fans can be forgiven for feeling relaxed on their Saturday morning train ride up north.
The Lions suffered their biggest defeat of last season at the Stadium of Light when they lost 3-0 in their first game back after the winter World Cup break.
Millwall have not beaten Sunderland in any of their last five games and have not won at the north-east ground since 2003.
The two sides meet a little over 20 years on from Millwall’s historic FA Cup semi-final victory at Old Trafford over the Black Cats.
– Stat Station –
- Millwall are without an away win in their last four games and, for the third time this season, are on a three-game losing streak away from The Den. They have not lost four away league games in a row since September 2018.
- But Sunderland are winless at home in their last five since a 3-1 victory over Plymouth Argyle February 10 when Michael Beale was still in charge.
- Six of the 11 goals Millwall have scored under Neil Harris this season have come from loanees.
- The win over Cardiff City means it is four wins in five home matches for the Lions under Harris where they are still yet to concede from open play in any of those games.
- Staying with that game against the Welsh side, it is now four goals in three games for Michael Obafemi against Cardiff. The match also saw Jake Cooper end a 60-game wait for a goal since he scored against Sunderland in a 1-1 draw in February 2023.
- Duncan Watmore was the third name on the scoresheet last Saturday. Six of his seven Millwall goals have come at The Den and all seven have come in London (the other came at Loftus Road against Queens Park Rangers).
- That win over Cardiff was the first time the Lions have scored three goals at The Den in 18 games since September’s 3-0 victory over Rotherham United.
- With eight goals in all competitions, Zian Flemming continues to lead the Millwall scoring charts. But he is currently in a five-way tie when it comes to the top scorer during Harris’ reign with the Dutchman’s two being matched by Obafemi, Watmore, Ryan Longman and Japhet Tanganga.
Elsewhere…
The rate at which the top three of Ipswich Town, Leicester City and Leeds United have been dropping points with the finishing line in sight has been compelling to watch. Ipswich have the weekend off as their scheduled opponents of Coventry City are in FA Cup semi-final action. Leicester can go back to the top when they host fifth-place West Brom tomorrow lunchtime while Leeds go to Middlesbrough on Monday night.
Huddersfield Town can move out of the bottom three when they host Swansea City tomorrow while Sheffield Wednesday‘s stuttering attempts to finally climb out of the relegation zone will face another hurdle in the televised Sunday afternoon game at Blackburn Rovers. Opportunity knocks for Gary Rowett and Birmingham City who travel to already-relegated Rotherham United tomorrow.
Injury List (2)
Murray Wallace – back – last match: vs Rotherham – April 1 – Out for the rest of the season
George Honeyman – shoulder – last match: vs Leicester – April 9 – Could return
Suspension Watch – players with two or more yellows so far (15 yellow cards accumulated before the end of the regular season will result in a three game suspension).
George Saville – 11 (booked against Stoke, Watford, Sheffield Wednesday (x2), Coventry, Sunderland and Leicester (x2), Ipswich, Huddersfield and Cardiff).
Jake Cooper – 9 (booked against Middlesbrough, Swansea, Plymouth, Sheffield Wednesday, Sunderland, Leicester, Stoke, Norwich and Leeds)
Ryan Leonard – 9 (booked against Plymouth, Cardiff, Norwich, Bristol City, Ipswich, Watford, Birmingham, Leeds and Huddersfield)
George Honeyman – 9 (booked against Ipswich, QPR, Norwich, Middlesbrough, Preston, Sheffield Wednesday, Southampton, Leeds and Leicester)
Murray Wallace – 6 (booked against Plymouth, Southampton, Coventry, Leicester, QPR and Hull)
Zian Flemming – 6 (booked against Watford (x2), Ipswich, QPR, Preston and Leeds)
Danny McNamara – 6 (booked against West Brom, Plymouth, Hull, Ipswich, Watford and Huddersfield)
Joe Bryan – 5 (booked against Middlesbrough (x2), Hull, Birmingham and West Brom)
Ryan Longman – 5 (booked against Rotherham, Swansea, Southampton, Middlesbrough and Cardiff)
Wes Harding – 4 (booked against Birmingham, Hull, Leicester and Stoke)
Brooke Norton-Cuffy – 4 (booked against Birmingham, Plymouth, Watford and Bristol City)
Billy Mitchell – 4 (booked against Norwich, Stoke, QPR and Huddersfield)
Casper De Norre – 3 (booked against Hull (x2) and Ipswich)
Japhet Tanganga – 3 (booked against Sheffield Wednesday, Southampton and Blackburn)
Duncan Watmore – 3 (booked against Sunderland, Norwich and Cardiff)
Shaun Hutchinson – 2 (booked against Bristol City and Cardiff)
Aidomo Emakhu – 2 (booked against Preston and QPR)
Matija Sarkic – 2 (booked against Southampton and Leicester)