West Bromwich Albion will hope to build on their victory against Luton Town last weekend when they travel to The Den to face Millwall this weekend. The Baggies returned to the top of the Championship table after their first win in eight games and now face a Millwall side with growing promotion aspirations of their own.
West Bromwich Albion Travel to Face Millwall
Albion’s Morale Boost
Despite winning just one of their last eight and losing two of their last three, West Brom moved back to the top of the league table with a 2-0 victory over Luton last weekend. Though far from convincing, Slaven Bilić’s Baggies put in a professional performance which will have given a huge morale boost after a tough couple of months.
They face a tough test against Millwall but the Baggies have enjoyed playing in London recently, losing just one of their last seven league trips to the capital, winning three of them. Their last trip to London saw them beat Bilić’s former team West Ham United in the fourth round of the F.A Cup.
Albion did good business in the final days of the January window as they boosted their creative options with deals for Callum Robinson and Kamil Grosicki. The highly-rated 25-year-old Robinson joined on loan from Sheffield United and impressed on his debut. Whilst Championship specialist Grosicki joined from Hull City and is expected to make his debut against Millwall.
Rising Lions
Millwall have lost just three league games since Gary Rowett was appointed in October. They rose to ninth in the division and are now challenging for a play-off place. In the 15 games under Rowett, they have surpassed their points total from last season; the club are just five points shy of sixth place.
The Lions kept a clean sheet at home in their last game, and have kept eight clean sheets in their last 20 at The Den. But they come up against the top scorers in the division in this one with West Brom netting 53 league goals so far this season, failing to score on just three occasions.
The visit of the Baggies will be the Lions’ first home game in the Championship since January 18th when they beat Reading 2-0. It is three straight victories and just one defeat from their last 11 at home and with West Brom having not won at Millwall in eight visits, the hosts will be confident.
Players to Watch
Jed Wallace is enjoying a prosperous season at Millwall with him having scored ten goals and providing nine assists in 27 games this season. The former Portsmouth and Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder is a man in form on the wing and will cause problems for the West Brom defence.
West Brom welcome back Matheus Pereira from suspension for the trip to London in what will be a welcome boost for the Baggies. The tricky Brazilian midfielder has been one of the standout stars in the Championship this season having amassed five goals and 14 assists.
All things considered, this should make for a fascinating fixture. West Brom have been teetering precariously at the head of the table and are in desperate search of balance whilst Millwall are making a beeline for the top six. The Baggies’ win against Luton has relieved the mounting pressure of a winless run and now they look to build on it as we head into the final stretch.
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