WEST BROMWICH ALBION host Millwall at The Hawthorns with both teams still hunting for any form of consistency in the Championship.
The pair will be hoping to be in and around the top six come the end of the season and both will be thankful the campaign is a marathon, not a sprint.
That is because fans of either club are yet to really see their side take off properly so far this season in the ultra-competitive environment of the Championship.
The Lions are off to their typical mixed bag of a start with their points haul so far including the one they picked up at St Andrews at the beginning of the month, their last trip to the West Midlands.
But they did show off what they’re capable of with the midweek 3-0 win over Rotherham United.
Meanwhile West Brom have also not convinced all that much so far with the Baggies making the joint-fewest signings in the summer window along with Huddersfield Town.
Of their four new faces, the three first-team signings are Josh Maja, Jeremy Sarmiento and Pipa.
Maja is well-known to Championship fans with three years at Sunderland before he left for Bordeaux in France in 2019.
The 24-year-old has an eye for goal but is still looking for his first strike of this campaign.
Meanwhile, Sarmiento is the latest product of the seemingly endless line of young players that Brighton have plucked from nowhere and are in the process of polishing up.
The Ecuadorian international showed flashes of ability at Brighton last season and will have to be watched closely at the Hawthorns.
Ex-Huddersfield right-back Pipa joined on loan from Bulgarian club Ludogorets.
West Brom, who finished one place and two points behind Millwall last season, beat Swansea City and Middlesbrough 3-2 and 4-2 respectively at home.
But they did lose to Huddersfield Town in their last game at The Hawthorns, proving Carlos Corberan’s side can be got at on home turf.
Their midweek game away at Watford saw four goals in the opening 23 minutes as they drew 2-2 with the Hornets.
The win at Boro and the draw at Birmingham suggests Millwall do have it in them to turn up away from home and grab results this season.
And a run of positive results would suit Gary Rowett nicely to relieve some pressure from an expectant fan base who want their side challenging for a play-off spot again. The Lions have not won back-to-back games since March.
Rotherham aside, the Lions have too frequently lacked a spark this season and on Saturday will face a man who spent years relishing his role as the man who could get bums off seats at The Den.
Jed Wallace will face his former club for the third time since leaving for West Brom in the summer of 2022.
While Wallace will be seen on Saturday, fans can expect to miss Kevin Nisbet after he went down with an ankle strain on Wednesday night.
He looks set to join Shaun Hutchinson, Matija Sarkic and George Honeyman on the Lions’ injury list.
Millwall have a decent record against the West Midlands side in recent years with the Lions having only lost two of their last nine versus the Baggies and unbeaten in their last four trips to The Hawthorns.