Millwall will host relegation-threatened Rotherham United in the Championship on Good Friday looking to secure all three points and stay in the hunt for a playoff spot.
The Lions, who currently sit 10th in the table, have lost only four of their 19 home matches so far this season but face a Millers outfit that have won five of their last seven away games – as many as in their previous 70 on the road in the second tier of English football.
Match preview
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Millwall's hopes of sneaking into the playoffs remain alive as they secured a 1-0 home victory over fellow top-six rivals Middlesbrough before the international break.
An unfortunate own goal from Boro's Grant Hall was enough to separate the two sides and that result moved the Lions 10 points behind sixth-placed Reading, with eight Championship matches left to play.
Manager Gary Rowett was pleased with his side's "outstanding" defensive display at the Den. The 47-year-old will now be hoping that the Lions can kick on and claim their fifth home win since the turn of the year, having only won one of their opening 13 home matches between the start of the season and January.
Millwall have made a name for themselves as draw specialists in the Championship this season, picking up a solitary point in 16 of their 38 league matches, with 10 of those draws at The Den.
The Lions beat Rotherham 1-0 at the New York Stadium earlier this campaign and another victory on Friday would see them record their first league double against them since the 2006-07 season.
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Two away victories in their last three matches against Sheffield Wednesday and Bristol City, along with up to four games in hand on their rivals, has offered Rotherham United hope of avoiding an immediate return to League One.
Goals from Michael Smith and Richard Wood either side of half time helped the Millers claim a much-needed win at Ashton Gate before the international break, which leaves Paul Warne's side just three points behind Birmingham City, who sit just outside the relegation zone.
Only league leaders Norwich City (six) have won more Championship away games than Rotherham (five) in 2021, and no team has conceded fewer goals on the road than the Millers (four) in this period.
Rotherham are also unbeaten in four of their last six visits to the Den, including an impressive 6-0 win back in 2002.
Victory for Warne's side on Friday could see them climb out of the bottom three for the first time since mid-February if Birmingham were to lose against Swansea City.
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Team News
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Millwall boss Rowett has confirmed that both Kenneth Zohore and Maikel Kieftenbeld will be available for selection on Friday after both players have suffered with long-term injuries.
Zohore has missed the last nine matches with a calf problem, while Kieftenbeld – who has been out for 10 games with a knock – has been plagued by injury throughout this campaign, making only four appearances since signing for the Lions in September.
Midfielder Ryan Leonard is not expected to make the matchday squad as he is still recovering from an ankle injury.
Jon Dadi Bodvarsson will be hoping to force his way back into the first XI after starting the last three matches on the bench.
Rotherham's Ben Wiles picked up a hamstring strain in the defeat to Watford and was an unused substitute in the win at Bristol City, but Warne could hand the midfielder a start on Friday.
Jamie Lindsay, Chiedozie Ogbene and Clark Robertson are all expected to be back in training this week and could be available to make the squad.
Millwall possible starting lineup:
Bialkowski; Hutchinson, Pearce, Cooper; Romeo, Evans, Woods, Mitchell, Malone; Wallace, Bennett
Rotherham United possible starting lineup:
Johansson; Ihiekwe, Wood, A. MacDonald; Harding, Wing, Barlaser, Wiles, Giles; Ladapo, Smith
We say: Millwall 1-1 Rotherham United
Rotherham have lost seven of their eight away fixtures with top-half clubs and in six of these matches they failed to score. However, Millwall have been beaten in 70% of their home games against teams in the bottom half of the table.
Friday's fixture is set to be a tight encounter and with little to separate the two sides, a score draw could be on the cards.
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 36.23%. A win for Rotherham United had a probability of 34.35% and a draw had a probability of 29.4%.
The most likely scoreline for a Millwall win was 1-0 with a probability of 12.64%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (7.4%) and 2-0 (6.96%). The likeliest Rotherham United win was 0-1 (12.21%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.44%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with a 12.6% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 1-0 win for Millwall in this match.
