Football Previews

Millwall vs Leeds United preview, predictions & possible XIs

By James Richards

Published: 13:14, 4 October 2019

Leeds United head to London to face manager-less Millwall this weekend as one of football’s traditional rivalries returns for 2019/20.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side sit second in the Championship table after a solid opening 10 games to the new campaign. They have won six, drawn two and lost two giving them 20 points from a possible 30 to start the season.

They will head to the Den to face a Millwall side that saw club legend and manager Neil Harris stand down in the week after a successful tenure at the helm. The former Lions striker took charge in 2015 and led the London club back to the Championship, reached the FA Cup quarter-finals twice and Wembley on two occasions.

Club chairman John Berylson placed on record his thanks to Neil Harris in a statement on the official website:

“Neil’s name is synonymous with Millwall and he has always had the very best interests of the club at heart, managing with great pride, honour and integrity, and he departs with the best wishes of everyone connected with The Lions.”

Harris leaves Millwall sat 18th in the Championship table, without a win in their last seven games. This will be a heated match-up between two sides who have little love for each other.

Read on for our predictions, key players, TV info and team news ahead of Millwall vs Leeds.

When is Millwall vs Leeds and where can I watch live?

Competition: Championship

Venue: The New Den

Date: Saturday, 05 October 2019

Kick-off: 3:00 PM BST

TV coverage (UK): N/A.

Last five meetings: Millwall vs Leeds

30 March 2019: Leeds 3-2 Millwall (Championship)

15 September 2018: Millwall 1-1 Leeds (Championship)

20 January 2018: Leeds 3-4 Millwall (Championship)

16 September 2017: Millwall 1-0 Leeds (Championship)

14 February 2015: Leeds 1-0 Millwall (Championship)

Aggregate Score: Millwall (LDWWL) 8-8 Leeds (WDLLW)

Ones to watch

Millwall: Jed Wallace

Given the turmoil off the pitch, the Lions will need to stick together on it and with the mentality Harris instilled in this team, you can expect to see just that.

Jed Wallace is an important player for Millwall but they arguably don’t have one standout star but are a strong collective. Wallace has impressed from midfield scoring twice while having more shots per game (1.9) than any other player with the exception of striker Matt Smith. Smith is their other main threat and leads the scoring charts for the Lions with three goals while also notching two assists.

Key stat: Jed Wallace has averaged 1.6 key passes per 90 minutes for Millwall this season, no teammate has registered more.

Leeds: Ben White

With the absence of key man Pablo Hernandez, this is the opportunity to highlight the superb talent of Ben White. The young centre-back was excellent in a loan spell with Peterborough United last season and he has been equally as impressive since arriving on loan at Leeds. The 21-year-old is a Brighton academy product who is comfortable on the ball but physically able to with stand the rigours of Championship football.

He will be an important player against a robust Millwall outfit and is certainly a player to watch for the future.

Key stat: Ben White has averaged 3.5 interceptions per 90 minutes this season, more than double any of his teammates.

Team news

Millwall

The Lions go into this game without a manager but they have no new injury concerns which will help caretaker Adam Barrett pick a squad strong enough to compete with Bielsa’s high flying Yorkshiremen.

Predicted XI: Bialkowski; Romeo, Hutchinson, Cooper, M Wallace; J Wallace, Leonard, Molumby, Mahoney; Bradshaw; Smith.

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Leeds United

Leeds head into this one with some key players missing. In the 1-0 win against West Brom they lost both Liam Cooper and Jamie Shackleton while Pablo Hernandez and Adam Forshaw are also on the treatment table.

The injuries could see Luke Ayling come into the line-up while Stuart Dallas can move into midfield.

Predicted XI: Casilla; Ayling, White, Berardi, Alioski; Phillips; Costa, Dallas, Klich, Harrison; Bamford.

Squawka prediction

Leeds will have been relieved to get the win against West Brom even though they were made to work hard for the three points. They’ve had an indifferent run recently and with injuries piling up, a trip to the Den is not ideal.

Millwall may have seen an icon depart from the dugout but this is a side built on determination and Leeds will not find it easy on Saturday. Given that the Lions have not won in eight across all competitions, it is hard to see them beating the visitors but getting at least a point is not beyond them.

Scoreline prediction: Millwall 2-2 Leeds United