Match Preview: Sunderland aim to end winless run at home against Millwall
20/04/2024 07:00
We've being saying it for a while but have to go back to mid-February to find our last home win, so surely we're due one today against Millwall?!
Saturday 20th April 2024
(13th) Sunderland v Millwall (16th)
Championship
Stadium of Light
Kick-Off: 15:00
Tickets & Match Coverage
Tickets: Tickets are available via www.safc.com.
TV/Stream: Full live match coverage available via www.safc.com.
Radio: Full live match commentary available via BBC Radio Newcastle (not online)
Don't forget to follow the blow-by-blow account of the game on the Roker Report Twitter feed (@RokerReport) and check out the player ratings after the full-time whistle at www.RokerReport.com!
The build-up...
Three games left... just three to go.
To be fair, it's been a while since we had nothing to play for in the final stages, and last season I'd have been celebrating this fact, but there's a strange feeling to it all this time around - especially with how this term has played out.
But going into today's game, we could look at the fact we've lost once in the last six, or we are winless at home in the last five - take your pick. I suppose the question is "which Sunderland will turn up?", which has pretty much summed up this season as a whole.
We are unbeaten in the last five against today's opposition, and for those looking for a sign of a scoreline, three of the last four have ended 1-1, and since two of our last three at home have ended 0-0, it might not be a bad call.
With three to go however, it's all about trying to learn as much as we can before we into an important summer.
Last season's final day drama felt like something of a watershed moment for Millwall and then manager Gary Rowett. Since late 2019 Rowett had been building his side into one that was hard to beat and consistently hovering around the playoffs, and as they sat 3-1 up at home to Blackburn Rovers in the final fixture they looked assured of a top-six spot.
It wasn't to be however, and it felt like that was Millwall, and indeed Rowett's chance to kick and in October, his time as manager came to an end with both parties appearing to agree he had taken it as far as he could.
Joe Edwards, who had been working in the background at Chelsea and Everton (as assistant to Frank Lampard), as well as the England U20 side was the man chosen to take the job on, but four wins in 19 games saw Edwards out of a job in February.
This has resulted in club legend Neil Harris to take over for a second time at the Den, joining from Cambridge United, where he had only spent two months in charge before moving back to Millwall.
The betting...
The bookies have the Lads as favourites at 23/20 for the win, with Millwall priced at 12/5 to pick up all three points and the draw is 11/5.
Head to head... at Sunderland
(All competitions)
- Sunderland wins: 11
- Draws: 5
- Millwall wins: 3
- Sunderland goals: 42
- Millwall goals: 17
Last time we met... at the Stadium of Light
Saturday 3rd December 2022
Sky Bet Championship
Sunderland 3-0 Millwall
[Diallo 53', Pritchard 58', Simms 90']
Sunderland: Patterson, Gooch, O'Nien, Batth, Alese, Evans, Neil, Diallo (Roberts), Pritchard (Embleton), Clarke (Cirkin), Simms Substitutes not used: Bass, Hume, Ba, Dajaku
Millwall: Long, McNamara (Evans), Wallace (Malone), Saville (Shackleton), Cresswell, Cooper, Volslammer (Bennett), Mitchell, Bradshaw, Flemming, Honeyman (Styles) Substitutes not used: Bialkowski, Hutchinson
Attendance: 37,012
Played for both...
Alex Rae
The Glasgow-born midfielder began his career at Falkirk where he spent three years making a name for himself in Scotland before a £100,000 move to Millwall came in 1990.
Rae spent six years at Millwall making well over 200 appearances before coming Sunderland's first ever £1 million signing in the summer of 1996 as we began life as a Premier League club for the first time. After five years on Wearside, Rae moved to Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2001.
