‘It’s Going To Be A Big Fight’ – A View From The Millwall Camp
- Millwall host Leicester City in the Sky Bet Championship on Tuesday night (7:45pm GMT kick-off)
- Kiro Evans of Southwark News gave the lowdown on Neil Harris’ side
- The Londoners are battling to stay in the division, sitting just above the drop zone
There’s plenty to play for at both ends of the Sky Bet Championship table when Leicester travel to face the Lions in midweek, as the hosts hope to move clear of the bottom three while the Foxes aim to establish their position at the division’s summit.
A change of manager in south London in February saw Joe Edwards replaced by Neil Harris – the club’s second switch of the season, which began with Gary Rowett at the helm.
Millwall’s initial improvement under the returning Harris, beating both Southampton and Watford in his opening two games, has stalled somewhat of late, however, with back-to-back defeats to relegation rivals and just one point from their last four matches.
“It characterises the season that there have been a few highs and a lot of lows,” Evans explained. “I think fans are now fearful about relegation. When Neil Harris came in, those first two results led you to believe Millwall were going to be okay and it wouldn’t go down to the last few games.
“Now we’re back in this position where you’re really wondering. The defeat to Huddersfield at the weekend wasn’t great. They weren’t terrible, they did have chances, but they didn’t take them and then conceded a sloppy goal.”
The pair have faced each other twice already this term and although it was Enzo Maresca’s men who came out on top in both, it took three goals to see off a stubborn Millwall side on each occasion.
“This is going to be a big fight,” the journalist predicted. “In some ways, playing Leicester might suit Millwall more than Rotherham or Huddersfield away, where they have the expectation to win the game.
“A game at The Den under the lights could be the best thing for the club. It will get the crowd going and just get everyone back on side, even if it’s sitting behind the ball for 30 minutes and then trying to spring a counter-attack.
“Numbers have been decent under Neil Harris. He’s still a very popular figure at the club as you can imagine. I think it will be a bumper crowd. Clubs like Leicester tend to pull in bigger figures anyway.
“Everyone knows that it is a massive game. Points are now desperately necessary now. They are really going to need the support. Fans will know that Leicester have their own targets, there are going to be nerves in the stadium that make it an uncomfortable evening.
“Millwall performed quite well in both the FA Cup and league game at King Power Stadium, but there were times when Leicester came to life and just walked the ball through. I don’t think we’ll see five goals; we’ll see more defensive resilience. If Leicester score, they will have to work a bit harder for it.
“Millwall will be limited to counter-attacking and set pieces but they’ll make the most out of them. They’ll really have a go to overpower them and frustrate them by stopping the game, getting the crowd on side.
“If Millwall are at their best, it should be a really difficult game for Leicester to navigate logistically, more than the football side.”
Positioned just two points above the dotted line, goals have been hard to come by this term, with only the current bottom two – Sheffield Wednesday and already-relegated Rotherham United – scoring fewer goals than Millwall in 2023/24.
Evans added: “Michael Obafemi has one goal so far having joined on loan in January. He has had chances and is still getting his match fitness up. There is a game in him where two or three goals will come.
“Zian Flemming scored against Leicester in the cup and is looking active as usual, hitting some good form. At the moment, it’s a very functional team. Harris is looking for more of a team performance rather than individual style. It would be great though if one or two players came to the fore.”