Fresh off the back of a heavy 6-1 defeat at the hands of Charlton Athletic, Dartford go head to head with Millwall in their second warm-up friendly game on Tuesday.
The Lions, on the other hand, were involved in a nine-goal thriller against Premier League side Crystal Palace on Saturday and will continue their preparations for the 2022-22 Championship campaign.
Match preview
© Reuters
National League side Dartford kicked off their pre-season campaign on Saturday as they fell to a humbling 6-1 defeat against Charlton Athletic at the Princes Park Stadium.
After going ahead through Charlie Kirk's 33rd-minute strike, Jayden Stockley scored an own goal on the stroke of half time to end the first period level, but the League One outfit ran riot in the second half as Jayden Stockley, Sean Clare and Deji Elerewe all hit the target to cap of a superb team performance.
Prior to that, Alan Dowson's men wrapped up the 2021-22 campaign with a gruesome defeat against Chippenham Town in the quarter-finals of the National League playoffs, losing 3-2 on penalties following a goalless draw in 120 minutes.
Dartford enjoyed a solid run in the National League South last season, claiming 21 wins, 11 draws and losing eight of their 40 games to finish fourth in the league standings.
They also ended the campaign as the division's second-best side on the road, where they went unbeaten in 14 of their 20 away games to pick up 36 points — only behind Maidstone United's 38 points.
© Reuters
Similarly, Millwall got their pre-season friendly campaign underway on Saturday as they fell to a 5-4 defeat at the hands of London rivals Crystal Palace.
Strikes from Charlie Cresswell, Zian Flemming and a brace from Benik Afobe were not enough to secure the victory as 19-year-old Jesurun Rak-Sakyi struck in the 83rd minute to hand the Eagles a thrilling victory.
Prior to that, Gary Rowett's side saw their five-game unbeaten run come to an end as they suffered a 1-0 loss to Bournemouth in their final game of the 2021-22 Championship campaign back in May.
The Lions enjoyed a decent run in the second tier last season, finishing ninth in the league standings — only below eighth-placed Blackburn Rovers on goal difference — after picking up 69 points from their 46 outings.
Next up for Millwall is a Dartford side against whom they are unbeaten in each of the previous four meetings between the teams since 2011, picking up three wins and one draw in that time.
- L
- W
- W
- L
- W
- L
- L
- L
- D
- W
- D
- W
- L
- L
Team News
© Reuters
Despite the result against Charlton Athletic, Dowson will take the positives from his side's display, particularly in the first half, and we expect the Dartford manager to name a similar starting side on Tuesday.
Kieran Murtagh and Dan Roberts impressed at the attacking end of the pitch and should retain their place in the XI, while newly-signed Maxwell Statham should handle business at the centre of the park.
Meanwhile, in a bid to give the majority of his squad some game time, Rowett named two different lineups for each half against Crystal Palace and the Millwall boss could take a similar approach on Tuesday.
Afobe, who recently signed a permanent deal with the Lions, grabbed a first-half brace against Vieira's side and we expect the 29 year old to spearhead the attack once again.
Newcomer Flemming, who signed from Eredivisie side Fortuna Sittard, came off the bench to good effect in the aforementioned game and he will push for a place in the XI.
Dartford possible starting lineup:
Wilks, Wynter, Campbell, Carruthers, Essam; Bonner, Statham, Oduado, Herschell, Murtagh, Roberts
Millwall possible starting lineup:
Bialkowski; Cresswell, Wallace, Cooper; McNamara, Saville, Mitchell, Malone; Honeyman, Flemming, Afobe
We say: Dartford 1-4 Millwall
While the full-time result remains somewhat unimportant as both sides look to build fitness ahead of the forthcoming campaign, we expect a thrilling contest nonetheless. Millwall boats a superior and more experienced squad and we are backing them to come away with the victory in this one.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
