Preview: Millwall vs. Burnley - prediction, team news, lineups

However, despite their dominance in first place, Burnley face opponents who occupy sixth spot and possess at least one match in hand.

Match preview

While Burnley are generally known for blowing teams away in the Championship this season, not enough attention has been given to their ability to score late decisive goals.

In four of their last six league fixtures, Vincent Kompany's team have netted pivotal goals in the final 20 minutes of fixtures, strikes which have led to the Clarets establishing an 11-point lead over Sheffield United.

The latest occurrence came on Saturday as a 78th-minute Ashley Barnes penalty secured a 1-0 triumph at Luton Town, moving Burnley ever nearer to securing promotion with multiple matches to spare.

Kompany will insist that complacency cannot become an issue, and a game of this magnitude is perhaps ideal to keep Burnley focused on getting over the line as soon as possible.

The North-West outfit make the trip to The Den having won 11 of their last 12 matches in the second tier, although that streak will be put to the test by their hosts.

Having not recorded back-to-back wins since October, Millwall have never been regarded as favourites to make the playoffs, yet they have the potential to go as high as fourth if they prevail in their game in hand.

Gary Rowett's side have won five of their last nine fixtures in the league, always following a win with a draw or defeat, and they will not want that pattern to continue.

On Saturday, Millwall recorded one of their results of the season, Tom Bradshaw netting a hat-trick to guide his team to a dramatic 3-2 victory over Sheffield United.

The London outfit have now avoided defeat at their home ground since September 14, a run spanning as many as 10 games, while they also boast the best defensive record on familiar territory in the division.

Millwall Championship form:

L

W

D

W

L

W

Burnley Championship form:

W

W

W

W

D

W

Burnley form (all competitions):

D

W

W

W

D

W

Team News

While Rowett would ideally like to retain the same Millwall XI from Saturday, consideration will be giving to introducing fresh legs.

George Honeyman could replace Oliver Burke, who may not be risked from the start after a rare outing past the hour mark versus Sheffield United, while Duncan Watmore will also hope to earn a recall.

Nathan Tella is expected to be fit for Burnley despite needing to be withdrawn on the hour mark at Luton.

Anass Zaroury may return in a creative role, with Jack Cork or Josh Brownhill potentially dropping down to the substitutes' bench.

Jordan Beyer, Benson Manuel and Jay Rodriguez are all expected to remain on the sidelines through injury.

Millwall possible starting lineup:

Long; McNamara, Cresswell, Cooper, Wallace; Shackleton, Saville; Voglsammer, Flemming, Honeyman; Bradshaw

Burnley possible starting lineup:

Muric; Roberts, Ekdal, Taylor, Maatsen; Cullen, Cork; Gudmundsson, Barnes, Zaroury; Tella

We say: Millwall 1-1 Burnley

In most circumstances, Burnley are going to be backed to prevail in any Championship fixture. However, three days on from a testing visit to Luton and with a motivated Millwall in front of them, we can see a low-scoring share of the spoils being played out at The Den.

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