Preview: Leyton Orient vs Rotherham United - prediction, team news, lineups

Rotherham United travel to Brisbane Road on Saturday with their relegation from League One already confirmed and nothing left to play following a 3-0 defeat away to Wigan Athletic on Tuesday night.

As for the hosts, Leyton Orient will be aiming for a first win in six matches as they look to move further clear of the bottom four, having played out a goalless draw with Mansfield Town earlier in the week.

Match preview

Richie Wellens’ Leyton Orient head into the final few games of the season in a strong position to secure their League One status, with one win and three draws from their last six lifting them to 17th in the table and four points clear of the relegation zone.

With three games to go, all of which are against sides below them in the table, the O's are in a commanding place to confirm their safety.

However, recent form remains a concern, with Wellens’ side now winless in five heading into their 44th league match of the campaign, although both defeats during that run have come against promotion hopefuls Huddersfield Town and already-promoted Lincoln City.

That said, their run-in presents a golden opportunity to finish strongly and pull further away from danger, with striker Dom Ballard playing a key role in their survival push and hopes of remaining a third-tier side for the 2026-27 season.

No player in the division has scored more than his 22 League One goals, and he looks set to finish as the top scorer, highlighting his importance to the London side’s campaign.

When Lee Clark took charge of Rotherham United in the middle of March, the former Newcastle United and Sunderland midfielder faced a difficult task, with the Millers sitting 22nd and six points adrift of safety.

Fast forward four weeks, their situation has worsened, with just one point taken from his five games in charge, a run of one draw and four defeats that ultimately confirmed their relegation to League Two.

It was a 3-0 defeat to fellow strugglers Wigan Athletic earlier in the week sealed their fate, as they failed to capitalise on what had been a crucial opportunity to close the gap, with the result confirming Rotherham will play fourth-tier football for the first time since the 2012-13 campaign.

Their relegation has come as little surprise given their prolonged struggles, with the Millers winning just three of their 27 league matches since beating leaders Lincoln City in November, a run that has included disappointing defeats to sides such as Port Vale and Barnsley in recent weeks.

In the 13 years since earning promotion to League One under Steve Evans, Rotherham have established themselves as something of a yo-yo club, winning promotion to the Championship four times and suffering relegation back to League One on four occasions, never spending more than two consecutive seasons in the same division.

Leyton Orient League One form:

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Rotherham United League One form:

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Team News

Leyton Orient have come away from their midweek draw with no further injury concerns, but Wellens may be tempted to change things up after a game that produced little attacking quality.

Ballard is expected to lead the line, with Josh Koroma a potential option to come in for either Sonny Perkins or Charlie Wellens out wide.

Dan Happe, who suffered an injury scare in recent weeks, returned against Mansfield and is set to retain his place in the back three.

Rotherham United have been hindered by major injuries throughout their campaign and will once again be without a long list of players.

Defenders Hamish Douglas and Marvin Kaleta will both remain sidelined with midfielders Dru Yearwood, Joe Powell, Kian Spence and Shaun McWilliams joining them in the treatment room.

Irish defender Emmanuel Adegboyega returned to the bench last time out after a month out and could now push for a start in defence, with captain Joe Rafferty expected to continue at full-back.

Leeds United loanee Harry Gray recently returned to his parent club for treatment on a hamstring injury and was spotted supporting them in the away end at Old Trafford during their 2-1 win over Manchester United, and after playing 90 minutes just 24 hours later, he is expected to retain his place as his loan spell draws to a close.

Leyton Orient possible starting lineup:

Dennis; James, Happe, Forrester; Mitchell, Abdulai, Bakinson, Morris; Wellens, Ballard, Koroma

Rotherham United possible starting lineup:

Cann; Rafferty, Adegboyega, Jules, Cover; Baptiste, Gore, Lee; Biancheri, Nombe, Gray

We say: Leyton Orient 2-0 Rotherham United

While not mathematically safe just yet, Leyton Orient find themselves in a far stronger position than their opponents heading into the final run of games.

A win here would all but secure their survival, and given the visitors' struggles, we expect the hosts to return to winning ways with a comfortable 2-0 victory in front of their home fans.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.