Preview:Millwall vs Preston North End - prediction, team news, lineups

Fourth will meet fifth place when Preston North End welcome Millwall to Deepdale for Saturday's Championship encounter.

PNE will be targeting a fourth consecutive victory in the second tier, while the Lions are looking to bounce back from a heavy defeat to Birmingham City.

Match preview

Millwall are sitting in fifth position in the table after winning seven, drawing three and losing four of their 14 Championship matches this season.

The Lions recently enjoyed a five-game unbeaten run, which saw them record four consecutive victories before they played out a 2-2 draw with Oxford United.

However, their impressive run of form was brought to an abrupt end in Tuesday's heavy 4-0 away defeat against Birmingham City, representing their first loss since suffering the same scoreline against Coventry City at the start of October.

After experiencing disappointment on the road, Alex Neil's side will be looking forward to returning to the familiar surroundings of The Den, where they have won five of their last seven matches.

In fact, the Lions have won each of their previous three home games without conceding, including a narrow 1-0 win in their most recent home outing against Leicester City.

Millwall have fared well in recent meetings with Preston, having seen their previous 12 encounters produce seven wins and five draws, including a 3-1 victory in last season's home clash.

Meanwhile, Preston are in fourth spot and a point ahead of Millwall after winning seven, drawing four and losing three of their 14 league outings.

PNE have put together a three-game winning streak since suffering back-to-back matches against West Bromwich Albion and Birmingham.

They started their fine spell of form with a comeback win against Sheffield United, before they kicked off November with a 2-0 away victory against Southampton.

Paul Heckingbottom's side enjoyed another successful outing in midweek, with Thierry Small and Milutin Osmajic grabbing a goal apiece in a 2-1 success against Swansea City at Deepdale.

After sealing their third win in four home games, PNE will head on their travels with hopes of securing back-to-back away league victories since February/March 2024.

However, that will be easier said than done for a team that has not beaten Millwall since running out 3-1 winners at The Den in February 2019.

Millwall Championship form:

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Preston North End Championship form:

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Team News

Millwall defender Ryan Leonard is set to miss the next couple of months with a calf injury that he sustained in the draw with Oxford last weekend.

Femi Azeez also picked up an injury against the U's and will now miss a second consecutive game, having joined an absentee list which features Steven Benda, Lukas Jensen, Massimo Luongo, Danny McNamara and Josh Coburn.

Zak Sturge, Derek Mazou-Sacko and Aidomo Emakhu are all options to start if Neil opts to make changes for Saturday's home fixture.

Meanwhile, Preston are contending with a lengthy injury list which features Will Keane, Robbie Brady, Ali McCann, Andrija Vukcevic, Pol Valentin, Lewis Gibson, Jordan Thompson and Brad Potts.

Bournemouth loanee Daniel Jebbison remains a doubt after missing the last two matches with a hamstring issue.

If there are no fresh injury issues, Heckingbottom may decide to name the same lineup for a third consecutive match.

Millwall possible starting lineup:

Crocombe; Harding, Crama, Cooper, Sturge; De Norre, Mazou-Sacko; Ballo, Cundle, Emakhu; Ivanovic

Preston North End possible starting lineup:

Iversen; Storey, Lindsay, Hughes; Offiah, Whiteman, Armstrong, Devine, Small; Dobbin, Osmajic

We say: Millwall 2-1 Preston North End

With just a point separating the two sides, we think that Saturday's fixture will be a close-fought contest between two teams targeting at least a playoff berth.

We have to take into account that Millwall have won their last three home games, as well as four of their previous six games against Preston at The Den, and with that in mind, we think that the hosts will do enough to claim a narrow win.

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