Millwall vs. Sheffield Wednesday: Prediction, Preview & Betting Tips

Over 2.5 goals have been scored in two of Millwall's last three home games in the league and two of Sheffield Wednesday's last three away games in the Championship.

Millwall beat the Owls 4-0 away from home in November 2023, but after the Yorkshire club got their own back just a couple of months later as they won 2-0 at The Den.

Both of these sides are displaying clear deficiencies in the early portion of the season and with Millwall having home advantage, we're going for a high-scoring draw. Millwall 2-2 Sheffield Wednesday.

This Saturday, Millwall will face Sheffield Wednesday in a Championship clash that could prove crucial for both teams as they seek to build some momentum early in the season.

• Date: 31/08/2024
• Kick-off time: 15:00
• Location: The Den, Bermondsey

Millwall, currently languishing in 22nd place with just one point from their first three games, have had a difficult start to the season. The Lions, managed by Neil Harris, have looked out of sorts, raising concerns among fans and pundits alike. This disappointing form is in stark contrast to the optimism that surrounded the team at the end of last season when they finished strongly with five consecutive wins. However, the pre-season hopes seem to have quickly evaporated, as questions are being raised about whether the club has done enough in the transfer market to bolster the squad.

One of the key issues for Millwall has been their defensive frailty. The Lions conceded seven goals in their first two games, a haul that has sparked a huge concern amongst the fan base. This defensive vulnerability has been a significant factor in their poor start, and Harris will undoubtedly be looking for ways to shore up his backline ahead of this weekend’s encounter. A failure to do so could see them continue to slide down the table, putting further pressure on the manager and his squad.

On the other hand, Sheffield Wednesday find themselves in 16th place with three points from three games. The Owls have had a mixed start to the season, but there are reasons for optimism. Last season, they managed to pull off a remarkable escape from relegation, a feat largely credited to their manager, Danny Röhl, who was appointed in October after the team had failed to win any of their first ten games. Röhl’s arrival sparked a turnaround in fortunes, and Wednesday eventually secured safety, earning widespread praise for their resilience.

This season, Sheffield Wednesday have been tipped by some to be a notable presence in the league, thanks in part to a strong summer transfer window. While a push for the play-offs might be beyond them, they came into the season expected to comfortably avoid the struggles of the previous campaign. However, their start to the season has been somewhat inconsistent. After an encouraging opening day win, the Owls have put in two lacklustre performances, leaving fans wondering which version of the team will show up on Saturday.

Despite these mixed results, there are some positive signs for Wednesday. Their expected goals (xG) rate of 1.53 is the fourth highest in the league, indicating that they are creating plenty of goalscoring opportunities. If they can improve their finishing and tighten up at the back, they could start to find a better level of consistency. Röhl will be hoping that his side can translate these positive underlying statistics into points on the board, starting with their trip to The Den.

This game will not be televised live to UK audiences, but partial radio coverage will be provided by BBC Radio Sheffield.

Millwall Team News:

Millwall will be without the services of Zion Flemming and Billy Mitchell, both of whom continue to make their respective recoveries from injury.

Without many fringe players pushing to take the place of recent starters, Neil Harris will likely field the same starting lineup that began the game against Hull at the weekend.

Predicted lineup: Jensen; Leonard, Tanganga, Cooper, Bryan; De Norre, Saville; Esse, Honeyman, Watmore; Bradshaw.

Sheffield Wednesday Team News:

The Owls will be without goalkeeper Ben Hamer, who is not expected to return until after the international break.

With his side having drawn a blank in two consecutive games, Danny Röhl could make a couple of attacking changes for this game, with Ike Ugbo and Djeidi Gassama both knocking on the door to start.

Predicted lineup: Beadle; Valery, Iorfa, Bernard, M. Lowe; Ingelsson, Bannan; Gassama, Windass, Musaba; Ugbo.

Millwall’s opening game of the season saw them play out a barnstorming encounter with Watford, a game they unfortunately came out at the wrong end of. The Lions fell 0-2 down before a Duncan Watmore brace restored parity at 2-2, with the goals coming in the 74th and 88th minute, but just two minutes after Watmore’s equaliser Watford reclaimed their lead in dramatic fashion, eventually securing the three points in a 3-2 win.

A 1-0 win over Portsmouth in the EFL Cup following that before another hugely volatile and entertaining encounter saw Millwall once again fall to a cruel defeat to Bristol City.

The Lions came from 2-0 down to lead the Robins 3-2 away from home through goals from Romain Esse, Tom Bradshaw and Watmore, but the home side bagged two late goals to turn the game around and seal a 4-3 win.

The psychological damage from those two games will have been hard for the Lions to overcome, and it seemed fairly clear that the team's defensive frailties were weighing on the mind of manager Harris at the weekend as a much more reserved performance saw Millwall chalk their first point of the season on the board on Yorkshire in a 0-0 draw against Hull.

Sheffield Wednesday flew out of the blocks on the opening weekend of the Championship season with a convincing 4-0 win over Plymouth Argyle, with goals Jamal Lowe, Josh Windass and Michael Smith - and a Plymouth own goal - were enough to seal a commanding win.

A Charlie McNeill brace then gave the owls a 2-1 win over Hull City in the EFL Cup, but two pretty resounding defeats followed as Röhl’s men lost 4-0 away at Sunderland in a game littered with individual errors which preceded a 0-2 loss at home to Leeds United, a game in which the Owls were quite simply outplayed.

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