Millwall welcome Sheffield Wednesday to The Den on Saturday in Championship action, with the visitors looking to continue their good run of form, having won four of their last five league matches.

Meanwhile, Millwall come into this game having drawn their last three Championship games, most recently holding league leaders Norwich City to a goalless draw.

Match preview

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Last time out, the hosts came close to securing three points against Norwich at The Den.

After a resilient defensive performance from the Lions, midfielder Jed Wallace had a golden opportunity to win the game at the death for his side, when he won the ball in the Norwich half with Tim Krul out on the touchline, however he dragged his shot wide and the game ended goalless.

That took Millwall's tally for the season to 14 league draws, more than any other side in the division.

Their home form is no different, having drawn nine of their 13 league games at their East London home ground, winning just one there in the league.

Gary Rowett's side currently sit in 14th, six points clear of the relegation zone, meaning a few poor results could drag the Lions down into the battle for survival.

Although they do have an ability to avoid losing games, worryingly for Millwall, only basement side Wycombe Wanderers have recorded fewer wins than their six in the league at this stage.

They have seen a slight regression in comparison to last campaign, when they finished eighth, with 17 wins and 68 points, only missing out on the playoffs by two points.

However, the side from the capital have maintained an impressive defensive record this season, with only four teams in the league conceding fewer than their 25, and only three clubs keeping more than their 11 clean sheets.

That shows that if Rowett's side can find a way to score a few more goals, they could quickly rise up the league table, thanks to their strong backline.

However, they come up against a Sheffield Wednesday side high on confidence, having picked up 12 out of a possible 15 points in their last five league outings.

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Former manager Tony Pulis was sacked in December, when they sat level on points with 24th-placed Wycombe.

However, since his departure, caretaker manager Neil Thompson has taken charge of seven games in all competitions, overseeing five wins and just two losses in that time, putting forward a strong claim for his role to be made permanent.

As a result, the Owls have closed the gap between themselves and safety to just three points, despite having a six-point deduction for breaches of Financial Fair Play.

Last time out, the South Yorkshire side recorded an impressive 2-1 away win against Bournemouth, thanks to an early Callum Paterson goal and a last-minute winner headed in by Jordan Rhodes.

That followed a 1-0 win over Preston North End at Hillsborough, with defender Liam Palmer netting the only goal of the game to secure all three points for Thompson's side.

A win in this game could see the Owls escape the bottom three for the first time this season, depending on other results, which will be encouraging for Wednesday as they look to avoid relegation down to League One.

Millwall Championship form: DLWDDD
Millwall form (all competitions): LWLDDD

Sheffield Wednesday Championship form: DWWLWW
Sheffield Wednesday form (all competitions): WWLLWW

Team News

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The hosts should have a full squad available to pick from in this game, with no major injury doubts.

In recent weeks, Gary Rowett has experimented with his team, moving midfielder Ryan Leonard into the right-hand side of a back three, and we expect to see the former Sheffield United man in this defensive role again in this game.

This has allowed space for Maikel Kieftenbeld in midfield, who arrived at the Den in January from Birmingham City, while they also picked up George Evans from Derby County, adding further depth and quality in midfield for Rowett.

Attacker Troy Parrott is no longer with the club, after the Tottenham loanee failed to make an impact for Millwall from his 11 league appearances.

Callum Paterson is expected to lead the line for the Owls if he is declared fit, having scored his sixth goal of the season in the win over Bournemouth, however he was brought off with an injury concern in the second half, while Jordan Rhodes will hope to join the Scotsman in the starting team, after he scored the winner off the bench last time out.

Goalkeeper Keiren Westwood has recently come back into favour at Hillsborough, with Thompson trusting the experienced Irishman over Cameron Dawson and Joe Wildsmith.

The Owls will be without important defender Dominic Iorfa, who will miss the majority of the season with an Achilles injury.

Thompson added to Wednesday's defensive ranks by bringing Sam Hutchinson back to the club, after his contract ran out at the end of last season. The versatile defender spent a brief spell with Pafos in Cyprus, before returning to the club where he has made over 140 appearances.

Young defender Osaze Urhoghide made his first two appearances of the season in the South Yorkshire side's last two matches, and he should keep his place for this game after two impressive performances.

Millwall possible starting lineup:
Bialkowski; Leonard, Hutchinson, Cooper; McNamara, Woods, Kieftenbeld, Malone; Wallace, Zohore, Thompson

Sheffield Wednesday possible starting lineup:
Westwood; Urhoghide, Hutchinson, Lees; Palmer, Reach, Bannan, Pelupessy, Penney; Paterson, Rhodes

We say: Millwall 0-1 Sheffield Wednesday

Although Millwall are very difficult to beat, especially at The Den, they come up against a Sheffield Wednesday side full of confidence and carrying major momentum as they look to overcome their points deduction and escape the drop zone. We can see the visitors coming out of a cagey affair with a narrow win.

Written by
Sam Varley

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