Nine points separate these two sides in the table although that certainly won’t be the main talking point here. Preston head into this game with a dismal points return of just fourteen from their opening eighteen games and you just have to wonder how many more defeats the Lilywhites board will tolerate. Millwall meanwhile are having a relatively good season and their supporters will be fairly satisfied with their comfortable position of 15th.
Disaster is the only work suitable to describe Preston’s season and the pressure on Darren Ferguson’s shoulders at the moment must be immense. Since taking over, the former Peterborough manager has actually seen the club go backwards and the vast majority of supporters want a change. Already, the Lilywhites find themselves six points adrift from safety and judging by their recent form, that margin is only going to increase. They are without a win in five and having lost their last three, it would be fair to say that confidence at Deepdale is at an all time low. More worryingly, other than their recent defeat to QPR, all of their recent opponents have also been struggling down at the bottom so it’s not as if the Lilywhites’ fixture schedule is going to get any easier. They have the worst defensive record in the division and with just twenty three goals scored as well, it’s clear to see that they need improvement all over the pitch.
Millwall on the other hand will probably be very happy with their season so far and if the Lions can stay in this position they will have had a very good campaign. Having collected twenty three points from the opening eighteen games, Kenny Jackett’s men are in 15th spot and actually find themselves closer to the playoffs than the bottom three. Their form in recent weeks has been a little inconsistent although having grinded out an impressive 1-0 victory over Middlesbrough in their last outing, they should have plenty of confidence heading into this game.
There’s plenty to report on the team news front for Preston who look set to include new loan signing on Leon Cort, who joined the club from Burnley earlier in the week. Josh King will also feature after having his loan extended, while Keith Treacy has returned from suspension and is almost certain to regain his place in the starting eleven. There is some bad news though and Darren Ferguson probably won’t be able to count on Callum Davidson and Paul Coutts who are both struggling with injuries. It’s a similar story for Millwall who also have lots to report on. New loan signing Josh McQuoid looks set to start, while Kenny Jackett will also have Scott Barron available after he completed a ban. Jackett will be without Kevin Lisbie, Chris Hackett and Danny Schofield as the trio struggle with injuries though.
Millwall may be having the better season between these two teams, but for some reason we think Preston could notch a rare victory here. The Lilywhites are in awful form but with the pressure at breaking point, we think Ferguson Jr could pull it out of the bag
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