Middlesbrough

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Millwall

Chris Wilder will take charge of his first match as Middlesbrough manager when his new side play host to Millwall on Saturday afternoon. Despite sitting five places adrift of their next opponents, Boro will move ahead of the ninth-placed Lions with victory at the Riverside Stadium.

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Match preview

On the back of securing a more-than-respectable 1-1 draw at West Bromwich Albion, Middlesbrough made the surprise decision to part ways with Neil Warnock. The opportunity to appoint former Sheffield United boss Wilder may have been regarded as one too good to turn down, especially with Boro down in 14th position in the table. Nevertheless, Wilder begins his new job with his team sitting just four points adrift of the playoffs, a scenario that he will relish when he will likely be given backing in January. Josh Coburn was the major plus point during Warnock's final two matches in charge, the young striker netting in successive games for the first time in his professional career. A more pressing point for Wilder is the club's defensive record with six strikes having been conceded in three outings. Millwall were also no strangers to inconsistency earlier in the season, the Lions prevailing in just one of their first nine matches. However, Gary Rowett's team have since posted five wins from eight, moving the East London outfit to within one point of the playoffs. Rowett and his squad are aware that one setback could see them drop back into the bottom half of the table, but there is a feeling that Millwall are building some much-needed momentum. That is despite their 1-1 draw at home to Derby County, Millwall failing to find a winner while at a player advantage during the closing 27 minutes.

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Team News

Having had almost two weeks to work with his squad, Wilder must decide whether to make any alterations to the team which drew with West Brom. A number of players have continued to make progress in their recovery from injury, while Onel Hernandez and Andraz Sporar are both alternatives in attacking positions. Matt Crooks is also available again after serving a one-match suspension for five yellow cards. Shaun Hutchinson and George Evans are both expected to come back into contention for Millwall after injury. The pair, along with the likes of Sheyi Ojo and Matt Smith, are all pushing for a recall after some of their teammates misfired versus the Rams. Middlesbrough possible starting lineup: Daniels; Howson, Hall, Bamba; Jones, McNair, Payero, Tavernier, Peltier; Watmore, Coburn Millwall possible starting lineup: Bialkowski; Ballard, Cooper, Wallace; Leonard, Mitchell, Saville, Malone; Wallace, Ojo; Smith

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We said: Middlesbrough 2-1 Millwall

Regardless of Wilder's presence, Millwall are good value to collect at least a point in the North-East this weekend. Nevertheless, Boro were not necessarily playing badly under Warnock, and that leads us to predict a narrow home victory.

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