Preview: Millwall vs. Wigan Athletic - prediction, team news, lineups

Kolo Toure begins his managerial career on Saturday afternoon as Wigan Athletic make the journey to face Millwall in the Championship.

At a time when the Latics sit in 22nd position in the standings, Millwall remained in seventh spot having lost to Sunderland upon their return to competitive action last weekend.

Match preview

© Reuters

After serving his apprenticeship under Brendan Rodgers at Celtic and Leicester City, Toure has been chomping at the bit to showcase his own vision in the senior seat in the dugout.

The Ivorian gets that opportunity at the DW Stadium, a chance which came about after Leam Richardson was sacked just weeks after penning a new long-term contract.

The temporary incumbents delivered a key 2-1 triumph over Blackpool before the World Cup break, ensuring that Wigan were 22nd and just three points adrift of 16th place rather than four points off safety.

However, Toure must find a way to extend that level of desire and performance away from games against fellow North-West sides. The only other win in 11 matches has been against fellow rivals Blackburn Rovers.

Starting his reign with a positive result will be a tall order with Millwall having already had the chance to get a competitive fixture under their belts.

The Lions made the long trip to Sunderland for their game in hand, returning from the Stadium of Light with an emphatic 3-0 defeat for their troubles.

Gary Rowett's team have now only prevailed once in five outings, yet they are still just two points adrift of fourth-placed Watford.

On some level, it is a case of what could have been given their recent inconsistent form, but Rowett will have few complaints with their current placing as they bid to make the playoffs come the end of the season.

At a time when Wigan have failed to win any of their last five away fixtures, Millwall are unbeaten in their most recent five outings at The Den.

Team News

© Reuters

Although Millwall wilted during the second half against Sunderland last weekend, Rowett is unlikely to over-react with his team selection.

However, many of the five replacements have had runs in the starting lineup this campaign, and Scott Malone, Jamie Shackleton, Callum Styles and Mason Bennett are all in contention.

As for Wigan, Will Keane and Nathan Broadhead should come back into contention after missing the win over Blackpool.

Jack Whatmough will also hope to retain his place in defence, providing that he has fully recovered from the hamstring injury sustained in that game.

Ben Amos, Ryan Nyambe, Tom Pearce and Jason Kerr are all expected to be out of contention regarding starting roles for this encounter.

Millwall possible starting lineup:

Long; McNamara, Cresswell, Cooper, Wallace; Mitchell, Shackleton; Voglsammer, Flemming, Styles; Bradshaw

Wigan Athletic possible starting lineup:

Jones; Edmonds-Green, Whatmough, Tilt; Darikwa, Power, Naylor, Shinnie, McClean; Keane, Broadhead

We say: Millwall 2-0 Wigan Athletic

While Toure will naturally be hoping that his players will rise to the occasion in a bid to impress him, we cannot ignore Millwall's extra competitive game time. With that in mind, most things point to a relatively comfortable win for the home side.

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