Preview: Millwall vs. Coventry City - prediction, team news, lineups

Millwall play host to Coventry City on Saturday afternoon looking to build on Joe Edwards's excellent start to life at The Den.

In sharp contrast, the visitors - who are 20th in the Championship standings - are a team very much out of form and need a victory to move away from the bottom three.

Match preview

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Having parted company with Gary Rowett, Millwall bided their time before settling on a permanent replacement and were prepared to see their short-term form fail to improve.

However, there will not be a Millwall supporter that is not enthused by the start made by former Chelsea assistant and England Under-20s interim boss Edwards.

While the confidence of the opposition should be taken into consideration, few people would have predicted a dominant 4-0 triumph for the Lions away at Sheffield Wednesday.

Millwall had not scored four goals or more in a Championship match for almost a year to the day, with the belief now being there that it can become a regular occurrence.

Edwards will insist on taking one game at a time, but he will acknowledge that he and his players have already set the benchmark as they bid to get back into the promotion hunt.

Coventry will have aspirations of doing the same thing, yet Mark Robins is aware that he is coming under increasing pressure to instigate a turnaround.

Just two wins have been recorded in 14 Championship fixtures, with a four-game losing streak being followed by a goalless draw with Stoke City before the international break.

On its own, holding one of the form teams in the division was a solid feat, but the Sky Blues are now 10 points adrift of the top six.

Robins's team have prevailed in just one of their eight away encounters this campaign - a 3-1 victory away at Queens Park Rangers on September 30.

Team News

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Barring any fitness issues, Edwards will not tinker with his Millwall XI after the level of their performance at Hillsborough.

Jake Cooper picked up a fourth yellow card in that contest and is now one caution away from suspension, while Matjia Sarkic, Joe Bryan and Duncan Watmore remain on the sidelines.

As far as Coventry are concerned, Robins could persist with a four-man backline after switching from his trademark three versus Stoke.

Like with their hosts, the Sky Blues may name an unchanged team, with Tatsuhiro Sakamoto the most likely to be recalled in the final third.

Yasin Ayari is also an option in a creative role, possibly ahead of Jamie Allen.

Millwall possible starting lineup:

Bialkowski; Norton-Cuffy, Harding, Cooper, Wallace; Honeyman, De Norre, Saville, Longman; Flemming, Bradshaw

Coventry City possible starting lineup:

Collins; Latibeaudiere, Thomas, Kitching, Bidwell; Eccles, Sheaf; Simms, Allen, Wright; Godden

We say: Millwall 3-1 Coventry City

While Robins would have been grateful for the international break, so would have Edwards after his arrival shortly before the Sheffield Wednesday game. Millwall have the potential to really kick on going forward, and we are backing a home win in relatively comfortable fashion.

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