Tuesday’s clash between hosts Millwall and visitors Bristol City at the Den could have significant ramifications on the race for promotion from the Championship.
Millwall are 12th with 45 points and though they are seven points and six places from the promotion playoff spots, they boast a game in hand on five of the top six, while Bristol City are ninth with 49 points and beat Middlesbrough 2-1 on February 21.
Match preview
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The home team dominated proceedings against Derby County in their last league game on February 22, producing five big chances while preventing the Rams from creating any of their own, but they only claimed all three points thanks to Josh Coburn‘s 95th-minute winner.
Millwall were beaten 3-1 in the FA Cup fifth round by Crystal Palace on Saturday, though they were hampered by the fact goalkeeper Liam Roberts was sent off in the eighth minute for a reckless and dangerous challenge on Jean-Philippe Mateta.
Boss Alex Neil will be confident that his side can close the gap to sixth-placed West Bromwich Albion given only fifth-placed Coventry City, third-placed Burnley, second-placed Sheffield United and first-placed Leeds United have picked up more points in their last six league games than his team have (11).
The Lions have only lost one of their past seven Championship outings, winning four and drawing two, and kept three clean sheets in that period.
However, Millwall’s record at the Den has room for improvement considering they have triumphed in just two of their nine most recent outings at home in the second tier, losing four of those matches.
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Bristol City came back from a first-half deficit to beat Middlesbrough, producing two big chances and 1.57 xG while limiting their opponents to no big chances in a rampant second-half display.
Head coach Liam Manning will be pleased that his team are only four points from fifth-placed Coventry, who occupy the third of four promotion playoff spots, while also having a game in hand.
The visitors face a tough end to the season, with games against five of the Championship’s top six still to come in their final 12 league matches.
Manning’s side managed to beat Millwall 4-3 in their previous clash in the second tier on August 17, a game in which they overcame a 3-2 deficit in the final 26 minutes despite having initially led 2-0 after just 12 minutes of the first half.
The Robins are unbeaten in three outings – winning two – but they did lose three and draw two of their prior six.
It should be noted that Bristol City are winless in their last nine away fixtures, succumbing to defeat on four occasions.
Team News
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Millwall will be without forwards Calum Scanlon and Macaulay Langstaff, so perhaps striker Mihailo Ivanovic will be supported by Camiel Neghli, Luke Cundle and Femi Azeez.
Goalkeeper Roberts will miss a minimum of three games following his red card against Palace, but Lukas Jensen is the club’s first-choice goalkeeper.
Tristan Crama and Joe Bryan could be positioned either side of centre-backs Japhet Tanganga and Jake Cooper given full-backs Dan McNamara and Ryan Leonard are injured.
Meanwhile, Bristol City wing-backs Ayman Benarous and Ross McCrorie are set to miss out on Tuesday’s clash due to hamstring injuries, and that could mean Mark Sykes and Haydon Roberts will retain their places from their side’s win against Middlesbrough.
Centre-back Luke McNally has also been ruled out, and his absence may mean that George Tanner, Robert Dickie and Zak Vyner will be selected to feature in a back three.
In attack, striker Sinclair Armstrong is likely to be flanked by wingers Scott Twine and Anis Mehmeti.
Millwall possible starting lineup:
Jensen; Crama, Tanganga, Cooper, Bryan; Norre, Saville; Neghli, Cundle, Azeez; Ivanovic
Bristol City possible starting lineup:
O’Leary; Tanner, Dickie, Vyner; Sykes, Bird, Knight, Roberts; Twine, Armstrong, Mehmeti
We say: Millwall 2-2 Bristol City
Millwall have not been particularly strong at home, though they have been difficult to beat in the past weeks.
Bristol City will almost certainly have to win if they have ambitions of promotion, but their poor form on the road could cost them all three points on Tuesday.
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