Cupset on the cards at all-London New Den clash
Saturday lunchtime sees Millwall take on London rivals Crystal Palace in the third round of the FA Cup at the New Den. The hosts have been consistently inconsistent in the Championship this table, but are safe in 11th place at the time of writing. Their Premier League visitors have a quartet of players away at AFCON in Cameroon, and it should be an intriguing contest. Read our preview here:
Hell of a Coop
Manager Gary Rowett has maintained the Lions' presence with aplomb in his three years in charge to date, eschewing some of the misguided stereotypes often associated with the club with his recruitment and style of football. The midfield will be packed for the visit of Palace, with four across the middle and two advanced in support of experienced Welsh striker Tom Bradshaw. Regular starters Danny Ballard and right wing-back Ryan Leonard are both absent, so Jake Cooper will have the responsibility put upon him to keep Odsonne Édouard quiet down his flank, preventing him from making runs beyond the backline. He is also excellent in the air, and will seek to make the most of set pieces, particularly as his teammates are unlikely to sit back.
Eze like a Saturday morning
Patrick Vieira's side always look stronger when Eberechi Eze is fit to play, and the exciting attacking midfielder could be finally be able to start a competitive match this season, having missed months and months through injury. He is likely to be on the left side of the three in the middle, and he will relish the opportunity to strut his stuff from the outset, progressing with the ball to go beyond Édouard and provide angled balls for Christian Benteke. Jairo Riedewald could start in place of Conor Gallagher, who is a significant doubt. Jordan Ayew, Wilfried Zaha, Jefrrey Schlupp, and Cheikhou Kouyaté are all in Africa, which should mean 90 minutes for Michael Olise down the right.
Home win or I Rowett
The changes Vieira has to ring, coupled with a lesser emphasis on FA Cup progress, are both huge factors ahead of the game. Millwall probably don't have the quality to trouble the second tier play-off places, so a memorable cup run could be kickstarted with a win here. With no replays at this stage, betway have odds of 2.20 for the Lions to qualify by any means.
