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Millwall v Swansea City
Competition - Sky Bet Championship
Venue - The New Den
Date - 10 April 2021
Kick off - 12:30
Following their 0-1 defeat at home against Preston, (the 4th consecutive defeat and the 4th consecutive game without a goal) next up for Steve Cooper’s shot shy Swans is a visit to in form Millwall - literally entering the Lions’ Den.....
On Easter Monday, the Swans’ increasingly faltering bid for automatic promotion was dealt yet another blow as they conceded an added-time goal to lose at home to Preston.
Preston controlled a first half of little quality, with Brad Potts twice going close.
The second period was also scrappy, Preston substitute Scott Sinclair heading over against his former club.
Sinclair had another chance in injury time, and this time his shot was turned into his own net by Matt Grimes - capping a miserable performance by the Swans’ skipper: in fairness, Grimes was not alone in that respect.
Indeed, the Swans failed to register a single shot on target. As a consequence, the Swans are now 10 points adrift of second-placed Watford, and are far from being assured of a play-off spot with Bournemouth lurking in seventh place just four points behind.
Earlier the same day, Millwall kept alive their faint play-off challenge with a third straight win to all but end Stoke's hopes of a top-six finish.
Murray Wallace poked the Lions ahead from a scramble after Jake Cooper turned Jed Wallace's far-post corner back into the box.
City soon levelled as Nick Powell's raking pass found Steven Fletcher who cut the ball back for Jacob Brown to squeeze a low shot under goalkeeper Bart Bialkowski.
Danny Batth's poor challenge allowed Jed Wallace to skip past, draw keeper Adam Davies and square a pass for Mason Bennett to slot into an empty net.
A 10th away league win of the campaign moved Millwall up to ninth, and kept the gap to sixth-placed Reading at eight points with six games left.
The Swans have played Millwall on 51 previous occasions, winning 21, losing 19 and drawing 11.
In the corresponding fixture last season, the teams drew 1-1, with a Rhian Brewster free-kick, which went in via goalkeeper Bartosz Białkowski, earning Swansea a point after falling behind:
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Turning to Saturday - the match is the early kick off on Sky Sports - Millwall will be really fancying their chances of picking up the 3 points to maintain their outside challenge for a play off spot. Indeed, they may (rightly ?) feel that the Swans are team most likely to fall out of the current Top 6 and ‘do a Forest’....
On the other hand, Cooper and his squad must realise that they have to get the show back on the road and return to South Wales with at least a point, otherwise expectation (of a play off spot) which has now turned to hope will start to mutate to desperation.
Personally, I think that confidence is shot, the players are out of form and Cooper’s Managerial inexperience and (in)actions suggest he is at a loss as to how to turn things around.
Nevertheless, more through hope than judgement, I think that the Swans will draw 1-1
