Aiming to stretch their unbeaten run in the second tier to 10 matches, Millwall will welcome a struggling Coventry City side to The Den for a Championship clash on Saturday afternoon.
The Lions were denied victory by a late Oxford United equaliser last weekend, whilst the Sky Blues left it until the final moments to secure a point at home to Cardiff City.
Match preview
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Since the one-goal defeat at Cardiff on October 1, Millwall have strung together a marvellous nine-game unbeaten streak in the 2024-25 Championship season, meaning that Saturday's hosts at The Den are beginning to emerge as serious contenders for a spot in the coveted playoffs.
That being said, the Lions have been forced to settle for a share of the spoils in each of their last three second-tier battles, including at the Kassam Stadium last weekend, when an 85th-minute thunderbolt from Tyler Goodrham cancelled out Japhet Tanganga's opener for the visitors.
With the busy festive schedule now on their doorstep, Millwall are currently occupying 10th position in the Championship standings ahead of this weekend's Coventry clash, 10 points above 22nd-placed Hull City and just five points behind Watford in the lowest of the playoff spots.
Boasting a six-game unbeaten run at The Den heading into Saturday afternoon, the Lions will be extremely confident of securing three points against a struggling Sky Blues outfit, especially considering that Neil Harris's troops have defeated promotion favourites Burnley and Leeds United at home in recent times.
With Zian Flemming jumping ship to the Clarets' Turf Moor home over the summer, Duncan Watmore has stepped up to the goalscoring plate for Millwall so far this season with five Championship strikes, although the former Sunderland youngster has failed to net across his last eight league appearances.
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Despite being in the midst of a five-game winless run, Coventry are in optimistic mood following the appointment of ex-Chelsea and Everton head coach Frank Lampard, who has taken the reins in the East Midlands from club legend Mark Robins, with the highly-regarded manager leaving after seven years in charge.
The 46-year-old guided his troops to a share of the spoils during his maiden match at the helm on November 30, when strikes from Ephron Mason-Clark and substitute Victor Torp restored parity in the contest against Cardiff, who are also languishing near the bottom of the table.
Looking for their first victory in the second tier since the Teesside trip to Middlesbrough on November 2, Lampard's Coventry are sitting in 16th spot in the Championship rankings, three points ahead of Hull in 22nd and a mammoth 12 points behind the top-six spots.
As is the case with the majority of the sides in the division, the Sky Blues have struggled on the road so far in 2024-25, with Saturday's visitors to The Den winning just one of their nine away Championship matches so far, suffering a 2-0 defeat at Scott Parker's Burnley most recently.
Despite signing a number of attacking stars over the summer such as Norman Bassette and Jack Rudoni, Coventry have been highly reliant on the abilities of Haji Wright for magical moments this term, with the American marksman bagging seven goals, five more than any of his teammates.
Team News
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After picking up a harsh yellow card during the early stages of the match at Oxford, Millwall defender Tanganga will miss Saturday's game due to suspension.
The Lions also suffered a major injury blow at the Kassam Stadium, with Middlesbrough loanee Josh Coburn set to be sidelined for two months because of a foot injury.
Without the services of the 21-year-old, the hosts are likely to turn towards Tom Bradshaw, who has been limited to just five Championship starts to date across 2024-25.
Whilst Coventry goalkeeper Ben Wilson battles back from a knee injury, Bradley Collins and Oliver Dovin will continue to fight for the first-choice status in between the sticks.
The Sky Blues are unable to call upon the talents of leading goalscorer Wright, who is expected back at some point this month from a leg issue.
Millwall possible starting lineup:
Jensen; Wallace, McNamara, Hutchinson, Byran; Saville, De Norre, Esse, Honeyman, Azeez; Bradshaw
Coventry City possible starting lineup:
Collins; Van Ewijk, Thomas, Binks, Bidwell; Eccles, Sheaf, Sakamoto, Rudoni, Mason-Clark; Bassette
We say: Millwall 1-0 Coventry City
Despite a number of suspension issues impacting their backline, Millwall should be confident of recording another solid success at The Den this weekend.
Coventry will have benefitted massively from a clear week on the training ground with new boss Lampard, but we still believe that the Sky Blues will suffer a narrow defeat in the capital.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Carter White
