Millwall will aim to keep their Championship playoff hopes alive when they host already-relegated Peterborough United on Saturday.
The Lions are currently ninth in the table and three points behind sixth-placed Sheffield United, while Posh sit 22nd.
Match preview
© Reuters
Millwall have lost just two of their last 15 matches and are currently on a four-match unbeaten run, but inconsistency could cost them a place in the playoffs as they have failed to win consecutive fixtures since the start of March.
Benik Afobe scored a 98th-minute equaliser from the penalty spot as the Lions drew 2-2 away at Birmingham City last weekend.
Gary Rowett's side will likely have to win both of their final two matches – they travel to Bournemouth on the final day – to have any chance of finishing in the top six.
Only champions-in-waiting Fulham have won more points at home in the Championship this season than Millwall, who have lost just twice at The Den in 2022.
Meanwhile, only the division's top three – Fulham, Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest – have conceded fewer goals this term.
© Reuters
Peterborough's relegation was confirmed last weekend as Grant McCann's side fell to a 1-0 defeat at home to Nottingham Forest.
Back-to-back wins over the Easter weekend had injected life into the club's survival bid, but ultimately their dismal form earlier in the campaign left them with too much catching up to do.
The Cambridgeshire outfit have conceded more goals away from home in the Championship than any other side and have won just three times on the road this season, but two of those victories have come in the last six weeks.
Jonson Clarke-Harris scored the winner as Peterborough came from behind to beat Millwall 2-1 in this season's reverse fixture, but Posh have lost on each of their last three trips to The Den.
- D
- L
- W
- D
- W
- D
- L
- D
- D
- W
- W
- L
Team News
© Reuters
Millwall defender Dan Ballard has been ruled out of the game after suffering a quad injury against Birmingham last weekend.
The 22-year-old joins Scott Malone (hamstring) on the sidelines, while Jed Wallace is a major doubt having missed the last two matches with a groin issue.
Ballard's injury could prompt Gary Rowett to switch from a back five to a back four, a change that he also made mid-game against Blues.
Full-back Joe Ward could return for Peterborough after missing last weekend's defeat to Nottingham Forest with a combination of illness and a dead leg.
After three successive substitute appearances, Joel Randall could be handed only his second league start of the season and first since August. The former Exeter City man has missed the majority of the campaign through injury.
Nathan Thompson, Dan Butler, Steven Benda and Callum Morton all remain sidelined for the Posh.
Millwall possible starting lineup:
Bialkowski; McNamara, Cooper, Hutchinson, M. Wallace; Saville, Kieftenbeld, Leonard; Burke, Afobe, Bradshaw
Peterborough United possible starting lineup:
Cornell; Knight, Edwards, Kent; Ward, Fuchs, Taylor, Burrows; Randall; Clarke-Harris, Marriott
We say: Millwall 2-0 Peterborough United
Considering their strong home record, we are backing Millwall to earn three points and stay in the playoff race. Peterborough will be deflated after their relegation was confirmed last weekend and should not provide much of a test.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Millwall win with a probability of 68.71%. A draw had a probability of 19.7% and a win for Peterborough United had a probability of 11.59%.
The most likely scoreline for a Millwall win was 2-0 with a probability of 13.67%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-0 (13.55%) and 2-1 (9.34%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (9.26%), while for a Peterborough United win it was 0-1 (4.59%). The actual scoreline of 3-0 was predicted with a 9.2% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole and our data analysis both correctly predicted that Millwall would win this match.
