MILLWALL should have no new injury concerns as they aim for consecutive away league wins for the second time this season.
The Lions are looking for a first victory in four games at the DW Stadium against a Wigan side desperate to stay in touch with safety.
The unpredictable Latics have beaten Leeds and Sheffield Wednesday in the last month, but they are two of just three league wins in their last 21 games. They are three points off 21st.
Millwall have won nine of Gary Rowett’s 20 Championship games in charge, the same total as in the previous 44 games, almost a full season.
It took the Lions 34 games to collect the same number of away victories (four) as they have in their last 10 on the road.
But Millwall will be wary of Paul Cook’s side, who have held Middlesbrough and Harris’ Cardiff in their last two games, and in Kieffer Moore have a striker who has scored four goals in his last seven appearances.
The Lions needed two equalisers to earn a point as they drew 2-2 with Wigan at The Den in November. Wigan’s second goal-scorer in that match, Antonee Robinson, saw a sensational £10million move to Italian giants AC Milan fall through on January’s transfer deadline day.
“I’ve played against Cooky’s sides over the years, I don’t think I’ve ever had an easy game,” Rowett said.
“We saw that in the home game. I thought it was one of our most difficult games of the season and we snatched a point when we probably didn’t deserve it.
“They’re a side that mix the game up. They can play direct to Moore, they can pass the ball.
“They’ve actually performed really well in the games, they just haven’t been able to get that last little bit to get over the line and win the games they’re performing well in.
“You can go to Preston, you can be playing Leeds or West Brom, you play Wigan away and it makes no difference. It’s exactly the same challenge with the same mentality needed, the same performance needed.
“We’ve been good on the road over all. It’s about us trying to build on performances like the one we had last weekend.”
Millwall had no new injury concerns after that 1-0 win at Preston, their third game in seven days Ryan Leonard is in contention to start for the first time since October, but Ben Thompson is still at least a month away from a return. Shaun Williams is sidelined with a hip injury, but Mason Bennett should be available.
Rowett added: “It was a big week last week for us physically. You always have a bit of a residual effect with that so we gave them an extra day off.
“It’s been a hard period but I thought we finished the game really strong against Preston. At this stage of the season it’s about trying to get them out on the pitch on a Saturday or a Wednesday feeling physically capable of playing for the 90-plus minutes at the intensity we want.
“I think we’re all good and hopefully that will remain the same.”
Possible Millwall starting XI: Bialkowski; Romeo, Hutchinson, Pearce, Cooper, M Wallace; Woods, Molumby; J Wallace, Bradshaw, Bodvarsson.
Match odds: Wigan 8/5 Draw 2/1 Millwall 9/5
Last meeting: 2019-20 Championship (November 26, 2019): Millwall 2-2 Wigan (Hutchinson 24, Smith 60; Pilkington 3, Robinson 56)
Image: Millwall FC