Millwall and Preston North End meet at The Den on Tuesday evening with just goal difference separating the two clubs in the Championship standings.
There is a nine-point gap to the playoffs, putting the pressure on both Gary Rowett and Alex Neil to push for a maximum return in East London.
Match preview
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Having enjoyed somewhat of a resurgence under Rowett since the turn of the year, Millwall appeared in line to make a late charge for the top six.
However, Saturday's 2-1 reverse at Barnsley has extended the Lions' winless run to three matches, a period which they could ill-afford if they want to challenge for a Premier League place.
A lack of goals has been a problem all season, and Rowett has been left disappointed with just two strikes coming in fixtures against Wycombe Wanderers, Luton Town and Barnsley.
There is a feeling that victory on Tuesday evening could help turns things around for Millwall, particularly with a batch of favourable matches to come before the next international break.
Nevertheless, Millwall will drop several places down the table if results go against them in midweek, strengthening the argument that they must go on the front foot against Preston.
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Neil will feel obliged to do the same with the visitors, who comfortably dispatched Huddersfield Town by a 3-0 scoreline at the weekend.
The North-West outfit had also looked devoid of confidence in the final third, and few players could have argued if they had been dropped for the meeting with the Terriers.
However, Neil was rewarded for keeping faith with his attacking quartet as Brad Potts, Ched Evans and Scott Sinclair all ended lengthy streaks without finding the back of the net.
Beating the worst-performing team in the division will not be enough to encourage Neil in the long term, but the Scot will at least feel that his side now have the firepower to get the better of a tough Millwall backline.
Millwall Championship form: WWWDDL
Preston North End Championship form: LWLLDW
Team News
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Rowett will make several changes to his Millwall XI with top goalscorer Jed Wallace potentially being handed a rest.
Mason Bennett, Jon Dadi Bodvarsson and Matt Smith could line up in a front three, with Ben Thompson also dropping out of the side.
Barring any late fitness issues, Neil is expected to stick with the same side which started Preston's fixture against Huddersfield.
Daniel Johnson and Tim Barkhuizen are alternatives if Neil opts to freshen up his midfield or attack.
Millwall possible starting lineup:
Bialkowski; Hutchinson, Pearce, Evans; Romeo, Woods, Williams, Malone; Bennett, Smith, Bodvarsson
Preston North End possible starting lineup:
Iversen; Van den Berg, Storey, Hughes, Cunningham; Browne, Whiteman; Sinclair, Potts, Gordon; Evans
We say: Millwall 2-1 Preston North End
With no immediate threat of relegation for these two clubs, there is no reason why they cannot throw caution to the wind on Tuesday. While Preston are capable of scoring goals away from home, we think that Millwall are better equipped to claim all three points in a hard-fought match.
Top tip
Darren Plant
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Millwall win with a probability of 41.37%. A win for Preston North End had a probability of 30.36% and a draw had a probability of 28.3%.
The most likely scoreline for a Millwall win was 1-0 with a probability of 12.78%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.24%) and 2-0 (8%). The likeliest Preston North End win was 0-1 (10.51%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.16%). The actual scoreline of 2-1 was predicted with an 8.2% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Millwall would win this match.
