Sports Mole previews Wednesday’s Championship clash between Ipswich Town and Millwall, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Following an uncharacteristic performance on the weekend at The Hawthorns, Ipswich Town will be seeking to returning to winning ways when they host Millwall at Portman Road in the Championship on Wednesday night.
The Tractor Boys did not have an answer for West Bromwich Albion on Saturday evening as the East Anglians suffered only their second league defeat, whilst Millwall were swept aside at The Den by Coventry City on the same day.
Match preview
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Travelling to the Black Country on Saturday afternoon, Ipswich Town were enjoying a 12-game unbeaten spell in the Championship, with the East Anglian club managing to score in all 16 league matches they had contested so far this term, however by the time the full-time whistle had sounded against West Brom, both of those runs had been halted.
For the sixth game in succession The Tractor Boys conceded within the opening 15 minutes as Darnell Furlong headed in a Matt Phillips corner past Vaclav Hladky, and in the early stages of the second period the Baggies punished the visitors on the break, with Grady Diangana finishing cooly to double the hosts’ advantage.
Despite netting a remarkable 36 goals in their previous 16 second-tier games, Ipswich did not manage a shot on Alex Palmer‘s goal over the 90 minutes, and for the first time this season Kieran McKenna‘s team looked like a side who had just been promoted to this level after a four-year absence.
Of course, that is huge credit to how well the Tractor Boys have fared in this campaign to date, and draws for Daniel Farke‘s Leeds United as well as Russell Martin‘s Southampton over the weekend meaning that McKenna’s charges still have a seven-point buffer over third place heading into the festive schedule.
Supporters at Portman Road this term have been treated to a gluttony of goals over eight frenetic Championships duels, in which 40 goals have been scored and the hosts have earned a sensational 21 points, with only league leaders Leicester City being able to match that home record.
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After a ruthless 4-0 victory at strugglers Sheffield Wednesday prior to the international pause, the Joe Edwards era at Millwall experienced its first hiccup as the Lions were convincingly dispatched by Mark Robins‘s Coventry City, representing the Sky Blues’ first win since early October.
Unlike Millwall sides of the past, Edwards is trying to breed a crop of players who are more comfortable with dominating possession, however their 62% of the ball on Saturday did little to guide them towards any points, with Matt Godden, Tatsuhiro Sakamoto and Ben Sheaf all getting onto the scoresheet for the visitors.
The South Londoners will probably be happy with getting out of the capital on Wednesday evening considering that they have earned 13 of their 20 second-tier points on their travels, with the Lions taking some notable scalps on the road such as Michael Carrick‘s Middlesbrough and a Plymouth Argyle side who are usually a scary proposition at Home Park.
Looking to replicate last season’s form which saw them net 17 and 15 goals respectively, Tom Bradshaw and Zian Flemming make up a two-man forward line for Millwall under new boss Edwards, although the pair have only racked up five goals between them in 32 league appearances during 2023-24.
Gary Rowett helped the Lions to four-straight top-half finishes in the Championship but was dismissed as the club’s hierarchy aim to take Millwall to the next level, however they are currently only 18th in the second-tier standings, eight points behind sixth-placed Preston North End.
Ipswich Town Championship form:
Ipswich Town form (all competitions):
Millwall Championship form:
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Team News
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Ipswich welcomed back both Wes Burns and Brandon Williams to the right side of their XI following their absences prior to the international break, and the pair should retain their spots on Wednesday night.
Elkan Baggott missed out on the unsuccessful trip to The Hawthorns due to his involvement with Indonesia this month, however the defender should be back in contention for this one.
It is unlikely that McKenna will press the panic button too hard after defeat at West Brom last time out, although the likes of Massimo Luongo and Marcus Harness will be pushing for starting berths.
Winger Omari Hutchinson sat out of the Baggies clash due to sickness and it is unknown whether the Chelsea loanee will be well enough to return to action in midweek.
Millwall will be sweating over the fitness of centre-back Danny McNamara who was absent from the Coventry loss due to a slight knee issue, meaning Wes Harding could start alongside Jake Cooper once again.
Matija Sarkic is close to returning from a quad injury which has seen him play no part since September, but Bartosz Bialkowski is set to remain in between the sticks in the short term after impressing manager Edwards in his first two matches in charge.
After drawing a blank against the Sky Blues on the weekend, the Lions could alter the makeup of their attack at Portman Road, with Duncan Watmore and youngster Romain Esse providing different options.
Ipswich Town possible starting lineup:
Hladky; Williams, Woolfenden, Burgess, Davis; Morsy, Luongo, Burns, Chaplin, Harness; Hirst
Millwall possible starting lineup:
Bialkowski; Norton-Cuffy, Harding, Cooper, Wallace; Watmore, De Norre, Saville, Emakhu; Flemming, Bradshaw
We say: Ipswich Town 3-1 Millwall
Ipswich produced arguably their worst performance of the season at The Hawthorns on Saturday, meaning they will be desperate to put things right in front of their home faithful in this one.
Millwall have a tricky quartet of fixtures coming up and we cannot imagine them picking up any points from their trip to East Anglia on Wednesday night.
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