They clung onto a play-off spot by two points, finishing sixth, and in 2017 a seven-game winless streak in February left them 11th and 10 points off the top six.

But Rams boss Lampard refused to believe his side will begin to fall like previous squads.

"I don't like the talk, I don't like the idea of any month being a curse," said the boss, who is likely to be without Mason Mount and Tom Lawrence.

"The more you look at it the more you give yourself a feeling it'll happen again. I don't entertain it.

"I entertain we have 15 games left, whatever month or day it is, and we have to tackle them head on and have a positive mindset.

"I have no thoughts or opinion on months or whatever, I'll banish talk of that for now."

Derby lost 2-1 at Brighton in Saturday's FA Cup fifth round tie but Lampard is keen to use their exit positively.

"The clarity is good, we didn't want to get knocked out but we have to accept it. We can focus on the job in hand," he told a press conference.

"We're out of the play-off spots but to a degree it's in our hands because it's about how we tackle these 15 games."

Millwall, who remain in the FA Cup and host Brighton in the quarter finals, are just two points above the relegation zone and winless in their last five league games.

Boss Neil Harris told the club's website: "It's 11 games, six wins, three draw and two defeats, so we're facing a lot of questions like we haven't done this, can't score that, what sort of form we're in – there's the answer.

"We want to climb away from the bottom reaches of the division and we've got a chance on Wednesday.

"The players are fully aware of what I expect and how hard we're going to have to work going into Derby because of the talent they have got."

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