STREAM LINKS >>> Preston North End vs Millwall free stream online Championship League Full HD
Preston striker Ched Evans arrived at the Select Car Leasing Stadium to face Reading last Friday without a goal in over 30 games in the Championship, and was handed a rare start alongside Emil Riis Jakobsen by manager Ryan Lowe.
By the time the full-time whistle had sounded, Evans had expertly dispatched two second-half strikes and earned his side a fifth away win of the campaign, ending his personal goal drought in a way that delighted the travelling Lilywhites supporters.
That victory over Reading means that Lowe’s men have now won four of their last five games in the Championship, although a heavy defeat to bitter rivals Blackpool in that spell will not be forgotten easily despite good results sandwiching such a disappointing display at Bloomfield Road.
Five of Preston’s eight league wins so far this campaign have come on their travels, with the Lilywhites possessing the best away record in the division, having collected 18 points from their 10 games away from Deepdale.
Lowe’s side also have the best defence in the Championship to date with only 16 goals conceded in 20 matches, a record that was helped significantly by Preston being involved in four 0-0 draws in their opening five games of the season.
Sitting outside the playoffs on goal difference heading into this weekend, it would be a real achievement for a club that have experienced their fair share of mid-table mediocrity over recent seasons to go into the World Cup break in a top-six position.
The ex-Birmingham City boss probably expected a dip in form to arrive soon and so it did, with his side only collecting two points from their last three Championship games and failing to score in any of those matchups.
Millwall were victims of a freakish long-range strike from Huddersfield Town defender Yuta Nakayama in a narrow defeat at the John Smith’s Stadium, and have followed up that result with consecutive goalless draws with Birmingham and Hull City in a run that has pundits and supporters questioning whether Rowett’s men have the necessary firepower to compete for promotion.
What has not changed despite a dip in results recently is the difficulty of the challenge facing teams visiting The Den, with Millwall earning 22 points at their intimidating home so far this season, a tally only Blackburn Rovers can better at Ewood Park.
The Londoners will have to do the business away from home if they are to move into the playoffs before the World Cup break, with Saturday’s assignment at Deepdale likely to be a physical and cagey affair.
Preston will have to do without midfielder Ben Whiteman who suffered a thigh injury in their last home game against Swansea City, with the 26-year-old hopeful of returning to action after the World Cup break.
Ireland international Troy Parrott remains out for Lowe’s side with a hamstring injury sustained during their 3-2 win at Carrow Road against Norwich City last month, meaning Evans will lead the Preston attack once again with Jakobsen.
Millwall striker Benik Afobe has been ruled out until after the World Cup with a knee injury picked up in the defeat at Huddersfield, meaning the likes of Tom Bradshaw and Zian Flemming will be tasked with firing the visitors to victory on Saturday.
Better news for Rowett is that defender Murray Wallace will return to the matchday squad after serving a one-match suspension for collecting his fifth booking of the season in the stalemate with Birmingham.
Preston North End possible starting lineup:
Woodman; Lindsay, Storey, Hughes; Potts, Browne, Ledson, Brady, Johnson; Evans, Jakobsen
Millwall possible starting lineup:
Long; McNamara, Cresswell, Cooper, Malone; Mitchell, Saville, Honeyman, Flemming, Burey; Bradshaw
The Lions failed to win any of their last three games after their impressive five-match unbeaten run was ended by Huddersfield Town, while their most recent clash against ten-man Hull City ended in a 0-0 draw.
It left many supporters feeling overly negative following their final home match ahead of the World Cup break, and adds a bit of pressure to Millwall’s final match against the Lilywhites this weekend.
It makes a difficult trip to Lancashire even harder, with Ryan Lowe’s side in excellent form going into the clash. Preston have won four of their last five games, albeit that they suffered an embarrassing 4-2 defeat against arch-rivals Blackpool on October 22nd.
Nonetheless, they have shown that they can certainly become one of the top teams in the division after a slow start to the campaign, similar to Millwall.
Preston went on an extended run of 0-0 draws and 1-0 wins in August and September before a 3-2 victory against Norwich City at Carrow Road kick-started their play-off ambitions. Lions boss Gary Rowett has certainly seen some of the similarities between the two sides and is expecting a difficult afternoon when they travel to PR1.
“I think they’ve been pretty consistent and very solid,” Rowett told NewsAtDen.
“They’ve hardly conceded any goals at all, although up until three or four games ago they struggled to score goals, but it’s the Championship, it’s not an easy division to score goals in.
“We tried many different ways. People spoke about our formation, that it was the key to suddenly unlocking loads of goals. We’ve now not scored for a few games.
“Every team encounters those little runs and every team has those issues, particularly the teams like ourselves and Preston who are both quite similar clubs in terms of being run effectively and efficiently budget-wise.
“We’re both ambitious but we’re hard-working teams that want to improve and try to push into those top positions in the league.
“I think Preston have done really well this season, they’ve done really well since Ryan [Lowe] has come in, and where they are in the league is a testament to hard work and some very good players.”
STREAM LINKS >>> Stream 1 Stream 2 Stream 3
Millwall will be without Shaun Hutchinson [hamstring] and Benik Afobe [knee] for Saturday’s game, while Murray Wallace will return to the first-team squad after serving a one-match ban for picking up five yellow cards.
Ryan Leonard [hamstring] is also in contention to feature in the North West as he continues to work towards reaching full fitness, although Rowett is keen to be patient with the versatile midfielder in order to prevent him from picking up another knock.
Possible Millwall XI: 4-2-3-1: Long; McNamara, Cresswell, Cooper, Wallace; Mitchell, Saville; Styles, Flemming, Voglsammer; Bradshaw