At the start of the season Milwall were seen as the potential strugglers, while Ipswich were viewed as potential promotion contenders. However, those predictions have been completely turned on their head as Millwall enter this game in 9th spot, while Ipswich, set to play their first game under Paul Jewell, are struggling down in 19th position.
Like nearly every club in the division, Millwall’s season has been one big rollercoaster and the Lions must just not know what to expect next. Kenny Jackett’s men have been up and down the league on good runs and bad, but fortunately they are now experiencing one of their better periods. The Lions enter this clash unbeaten in eight outings and having won two out of three of their recent league games, they’ll certainly possess at least some confidence. One thing that the New Den outfit have been renowned for has been a sturdy defence and having kept three consecutive league clean sheets, they’ll certainly prove difficult to break down. However, they approach this game on the back of a 4-1 drubbing to Birmingham in the Cup and it’ll be interesting to see how Jackett’s man respond to that blip.
Ipswich on the other hand are in a real mess, although their supporters will be hoping that they’re about to turn a corner now Paul Jewell has taken over. This will be the former Wigan manager’s first game in charge and having overseen a superb 1-0 victory against Arsenal midweek, Jewell will at least inherit a squad on a high. In the league they are anything but high though and are actually looking over their shoulder, with just three points separating the Tractor Boys from the bottom three places. Before their victory against Arsenal their form was hardly inspiring either, with a 7-0 defeat to Chelsea and a 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest occurring prior to that.
There’s plenty of team news to report for this one and Millwall could be without several players. After injuring his ankle, Josh McQuoid has been ruled out while Tamika Mkandawire, Paul Robinson and Liam Trotter also won’t be featuring. One positive for Kenny Jackett is that following suspension, Alan Dunne is now available again. It’s a little quieter for Ipswich who will be without striker Jason Scotland who is struggling with a calf problem. Elsewhere, Troy Brown will also miss out as he is hindered by a hamstring complaint.
Ipswich may approach this game following a superb result midweek and with the boost of a new manager taking charge. However, Millwall’s record over recent weeks has been superb and with the New Den being such a tough place to go to, we expect a narrow victory for the Lions
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