Preview | Millwall v Swansea City
Swansea City head to The Den to take on Millwall in the Championship this afternoon.
The Lions currently sit in the final play-off place, three points ahead of seventh placed Norwich City.
They have been relatively consistent this term. They are seventh in the form table, eighth in points won at home and eighth for points won away performance. Despite this, they are not a team who often taste defeat at home losing only four times.
This has seen them mount a push for the play-offs.
The Swans won 1-0 on their last trip to The Den, with a controlled, mature performance and will be hoping for similar tonight.
Team news
Ollie Cooper was withdrawn at half-time during Saturday’s match, but Russell Martin said this was more of a precaution and expects the midfielder to be available.
Joe Allen and Steven Benda are the only ones ruled out.
Pre-match views
Russell Martin: “We have to go to Millwall on Tuesday and show the same fight and willingness to work for each other that we’ve shown in the past two games and try to find a way to win.
“It’s a place we went to last season and did brilliantly at, hopefully we can do it again.”
Gary Rowett: “We have two home games [Swans and Huddersfield] now and we should go and embrace and enjoy it.
"Go and see if we can do at home what we have done so often, which is get the points against whichever team we are playing regardless."
"There's a slap in the chops around the corner and you've got to make sure you just do everything you can to win games and roll with the punches. It's not the time of season to be worrying about things.”
Remember the last time?
Joel Piroe’s 18th goal of the season saw Swansea City back up their south Wales derby triumph with another impressive victory on their travels.
The Lions had one of the best defensive home records in the Championship but Piroe’s right-footed strike just moments into the second half proved the difference at The Den.
It was a glimpse at the progress being made under Russell Martin and the margin of victory could, and perhaps should, have been greater as the Swans dominated possession and showed excellent control and accuracy in much of their play against a home side still harbouring play-off aspirations.
Prime numbers
4 – Only Middlesbrough and Burnley have lost fewer home matches than Millwall’s four this season.
6 – The Swans are unbeaten in their last six trips to The Den. They last lost in March 2007.
14 – Joel Piroe netted his 14th goal of the season in defeat to Middlesbrough.