Millwall and Watford get their Championship campaigns underway with a showdown at The Den on Saturday afternoon.
Both sides are full of optimism having made managerial appointments in 2024 that they hope will lead to much-improved seasons than 2023-24.
Match preview
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Having won eight of his 13 matches in charge of Millwall after his February return, there was an argument that Neil Harris was one of the managers of the year in last season's Championship.
The spurt of victories took the Lions from relegation candidates to a 13th-placed finish, the expectation being that they can now challenge for the playoffs.
Off the pitch, Millwall are still handling the tragic passing of goalkeeper Matija Sarkic, leaving the need to find a new number one with Lukas Jensen and Liam Roberts having been brought to the club.
Notts County forward Macaulay Langstaff has also been added to the attack with goals having not always been forthcoming in 2023-24.
That has remained the case in pre-season, though, with Millwall scoring just seven times in their six fixtures.
As for Watford, Tom Cleverley has been appointed as head coach on a permanent basis having impressed the club's powers-that-be while in interim charge.
Just two defeats were posted during a testing nine-match period to conclude last season, the Hornets hierarchy seemingly taking a different approach to their previous hire-and-fire regime.
Ismael Kone's big-money switch to Marseille should free up the purse strings over the coming weeks, although the likes of Udinese centre-back Antonio Tikvic, left-back Yasser Larouci and midfielder Moussa Sissoko have already moved to Vicarage Road.
Watford came through a hectic summer schedule with just two wins, although they concluded the eight-game stretch with a 1-1 draw versus Brentford.
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Team News
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With Japhet Tanganga remaining as an unused substitute against Southampton, the defender may have to make do with a spot on the Millwall substitutes' bench.
Wes Harding could come back into the team, but Tom Bradshaw may get the nod over Langstaff down the middle of the attack.
Meanwhile, Cleverley would only be able to take encouragement from his side earning a draw with Brentford last time out.
Unless he opts for a more attack-minded strategy, the same Watford side could be selected with Vakoun Bayo getting the nod up front.
Ken Sema is an option in a wide area, although Jeremy Ngakia seems most likely to get the nod.
Millwall possible starting lineup:
Jensen; Cooper, Harding, Hutchinson, Bryan; Leonard, Saville, De Noore; Watmore, Bradshaw, Esse
Watford possible starting lineup:
Bachmann; Andrews, Sierralta, Porteous, Pollock, Ngakia; Sissoko, Dele-Bashiru, Kayembe; Chakvetadze; Bayo
We say: Millwall 1-1 Watford
This has all the makings of being an extremely tight encounter with both sides avoiding defeat with regularity during last season's run-in. On that note, we can only back a low-scoring draw, a result that would satisfy the visitors more so than their hosts.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Darren Plant
