MILLWALL face a daunting task against Fulham but at least Lions boss Gary Rowett will have more selection options at Craven Cottage.
The Cottagers have the best scoring rate across the top four leagues in England, with 2.6 goals a game.
The next best in the second tier are AFC Bournemouth and Queens Park Rangers with 1.6 goals per game.
The Lions have recent experience of a heavy defeat at Craven Cottage, 4-0 in August 2019 when Scott Parker’s side set possession and passing records for a Championship team since those statistics started being recorded.
But Blackpool showed the weekend before last how to quieten Marco Silva’s team. Most people expected the Tangerines to get a pasting in west London against a side that has scored four or more goals in nine Championship games this season. Last month, Fulham became the first Football League club since Everton in 1954 to score six or more goals in three consecutive league games.
But Blackpool battled back after a sixth-minute opener from Aleksandar Mitrovic – who has netted 28 times this season and has more involvements in goals than Millwall have scored this campaign – to claim a 1-1 draw through Josh Bowler.
Millwall often rise to the challenge of these games. Of the current top six, they have drawn against QPR, Blackburn and Bournemouth and probably should have won those games, and drawn with and beaten West Bromwich Albion.
The Lions have lost two of their seven games against the top six, to the Cottagers and Huddersfield Town.
“Maybe because the expectations are lower, if that makes sense,” Maikel Kieftenbeld said when asked why Millwall often do well against the top sides. “ Sometimes you go into a game and you think, ‘we are better than the opponent, we have to win this game’. Sometimes then we start playing a bit more differently.
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“Against top teams I think we are doing really well and are really hard to beat. You saw that against West Brom, they were struggling to play against us.
“When things get tougher, I love it. I really enjoy the atmosphere like that.”
Luke Freeman could make his debut after signing on loan from Sheffield United on deadline day.
Jed Wallace and George Saville are in contention to start.
Millwall sold out their away allocation – 1,879 Lions heading to west London.
Possible Millwall starting XI: 5-2-3: Bialkowski; McNamara, Hutchinson, Cooper, M Wallace, Malone; Kieftenbeld, Mitchell; J Wallace, Afobe, Bennett.
Last meeting: Championship (August 17, 2021): Millwall 1-2 Fulham (Afobe 87’; Mitrovic 3’, Carvalho 8’).
Image: Millwall FC
