Preview: Sheffield United vs. Millwall - prediction, team news, lineups

Sheffield United will be looking to build some momentum in the Championship when they host Millwall at Bramall Lane on Tuesday evening.

The home side bounced back from successive defeats before the international break with a come-from-behind win at the weekend, whilst their visitors are looking for a reaction of their own after a poor loss last time out.

Match preview

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Consistency is the target for Sheffield United in the weeks ahead, after an up-and-down start to the campaign has left them in 13th place heading into Tuesday's fixture, level on points with their opponents, and still five points off their minimum target of the playoff spots.

After suffering such a poor relegation from the Premier League last campaign, it appeared as though the doom and gloom continued to hover over the Blades on their return to the second tier.

Just one point, and a single goal scored, from their opening four league matches sparked fears of a potentially disastrous season for a side expected to be challenging for an immediate promotion back to the big time.

United did briefly recover during a five-match unbeaten spell during August and September, but then fell to back-to-back defeats against Middlesbrough and Bournemouth prior to the international break.

The 2-1 loss to Bournemouth was particularly disappointing, considering Slavisa Jokanovic's men took the lead away at their fellow promotion-chasers early in the second half.

However, on Saturday they managed to reverse this against another side fighting it out at the top - Stoke City - with United turning the game on its head in the final 10 minutes, after substitute David McGoldrick assisted Lys Mousset just minutes after his arrival, before netting the winner a few minutes later.

Jokanovic will now be looking for his side to make it successive home wins on Tuesday, in order to gain some momentum and put together a consistent run of form in order to climb up the table back to where they are expected to compete this season.

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Meanwhile, Millwall did the opposite to their midweek hosts at the weekend, when they faced Luton Town at The Den.

After back-to-back 1-0 victories over Bristol City and Barnsley prior to the international break, Gary Rowett's side failed to extend that run and instead fell 2-0 on home soil.

The performance was far from poor, though, with the Lions having the greater share of possession, as well as creating a far greater number of chances than their opponents, which included a missed penalty from Jed Wallace late on.

That defeat also put an end to Millwall's seven-match unbeaten streak in the Championship, which included three draws and a win from four games on the road during that spell.

Rowett has continued the Millwall model of recent years, in that his side build from a solid foundation at the back and remain tough to break down as a result, with just the one defeat and six goals conceded from six away trips in the league so far proof of this.

The manager will be expecting a reaction from his team in midweek and will be eyeing up a strong defensive performance, in particular, against one of the favourites for promotion before a ball was kicked at the start of the campaign.

Team News

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The hosts will remain without important players Jack O'Connell and Sander Berge on Tuesday, with the former remaining sidelined with a long-term injury and the latter continuing to be a big miss in midfield due to a hamstring problem.

A further quartet of players are also doubtful for the game, with full-back George Baldock missing out at the weekend due to a hamstring injury of his own, whilst Rhys Norrington-Davies, Luke Freeman and Oliver Burke are unlikely to feature as well.

McGoldrick may be recalled to the starting lineup as a result of his game-changing performance from the substitutes bench against Stoke, which could see Iliman Ndiaye make way.

As for the visitors, they do not appear to have picked up any further injuries from their defeat at the weekend, so have just the two concerns to deal with in midweek.

First-choice full-back Scott Malone and backup midfielder Connor Mahoney are the only players who remain doubts, so Rowett is close to a fully-fit squad to choose from.

An unchanged lineup could be named by the manager, despite the disappointing result against Luton.

Sheffield United possible starting lineup:
Olsen; Bogle, Egan, Davies, Stevens; Norwood, Fleck; Gibbs-White, McGoldrick, Osborn; Sharp

Millwall possible starting lineup:
Bialkowski; Ballard, Hutchinson, Cooper; McNamara, Evans, Saville, M Wallace; J Wallace, Ojo; Afobe

We say: Sheffield United 2-0 Millwall

It is likely to be a tight game on Tuesday, particularly with the way that Millwall will set themselves up away from home.

The hosts will have to be patient in possession, as their visitors will look to frustrate them for long periods of the match, but they should have enough quality to see off their opponents in the end.