Preview: Millwall vs Charlton Athletic - prediction, team news, lineups

Charlton Athletic will make the short trip to The Den for Saturday’s derby clash against promotion-chasing Millwall.

The Lions head into the weekend in fifth spot in the Championship table, while the Addicks are operating in 18th position.

Match preview

Millwall are dreaming of playing top-flight football for the first time since 1989-1990, with Alex Neil’s side sitting in the playoffs and six points adrift of the top two.

The Lions recently enjoyed a five-game unbeaten league run before they fell narrowly short in Tuesday’s away meeting with leaders Coventry City.

Neil’s charges appeared to be in a good position for a point after Mihailo Ivanovic netted a 29th-minute equaliser to cancel out an early opener from former Millwall attacker, Romain Esse.

However, Haji Wright struck in the 78th minute to condemn Millwall to a narrow 2-1 defeat, extending their winless run at the CBS Arena to four matches (D1, L3).

The Lions will now return to the home comforts of The Den, where they have won seven, drawn two and lost just one of their previous seven home outings.

The hosts should fancy their chances of taking maximum points from Saturday’s fixture, having won each of their previous three home matches against Charlton, including a 2-1 success in their most recent encounter at The Den in November 2019.

While Millwall are eyeing Premier League football, their local rivals, Charlton, are looking to avoid an immediate return to League One, sitting just three points clear of the drop zone ahead of the weekend's round of fixtures.

Charlton have mustered just two wins in their last 13 league matches (D3, L8), with their most recent win coming against nine-man Sheffield United last weekend.

The Addicks were unable to follow a 2-1 win with a positive result in Tuesday's home meeting with Derby County, which saw Tyreece Campbell net his first home goal of the season in a narrow 2-1 defeat.

Nathan Jones's side will be desperate to return to winning ways on Saturday, but that will be easier said than done for a club that have failed to win their last eight Championship away games (D3, L5) since they beat Ipswich Town at Portman Road in October.

They have also failed to win any of their last 13 league matches against Millwall, including a 1-1 draw in September's reverse fixture.

Nevertheless, they will still head to The Den with the objective of claiming their first head-to-head win since completing a league double with a pair of 2-0 victories in the 1995-96 season.

Millwall Championship form:

D W D W W L

Millwall form (all competitions):

W D W L W L

Charlton Athletic Championship form:

L L D D W L

Charlton Athletic form (all competitions):

L L D D W L

Team News

Millwall will have to cope without the services of Lukas Jensen, Will Smallbone, Daniel Kelly, Massimo Luongo and Derek Mazou-Sacko due to injury.

Left-back Alfie Doughty and midfielder Casper De Norre could come into the backline after dropping to the bench in the midweek.

Ivanovic will continue to spearhead the Millwall attacker after scoring two goals in his last three appearances.

Meanwhile, Charlton’s Harvey Knibbs is set for an extended spell on the sidelines after being stretchered off in last Saturday’s win over Sheffield United.

Josh Edwards and Onel Hernandez will also sit out the clash with Millwall, while Lloyd Jones is hoping to prove his fitness after being forced off in the midweek defeat to Derby.

Defender Luke Chambers could feature in the matchday squad after joining on loan from Liverpool until the end of the season.

Millwall possible starting lineup:

Crocombe; Crama, Taylor, Cooper, Sturge; Mitchell, De Norre; Azeez, Neghli, Ballo; Ivanovic

Charlton Athletic possible starting lineup:

Kaminski; Burke, Jones, Clarke; Ramsay, Carey, Coventry, Anderson, Campbell; Leaburn, Dykes

We say: Millwall 2-1 Charlton Athletic

Millwall tend to perform well in this fixture, and considering they have won their last two home games, we think the Lions will make full use of home advantage to take three points off a Charlton side that have lost five of their last seven away games.

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