Both Millwall and Birmingham City find themselves in precarious situations, with a mere two points and a one-point difference between them and the relegation spots, respectively.
With only two points separating 16th and 23rd, the survival battle is quite close. If neither team can gain anything from the game, it’s not exactly a panic attack for them, but they will be falling short.
Even though Millwall is currently ranked 18th, things are definitely looking up for the team, as they were just two weeks ago. With two victories and a draw in his first three games as manager for the second time, former star Neil Harris has returned to the team at the same time as the club’s more optimistic attitude.
The observation that they are a team moving in the right path may not apply to the guests. Birmingham is back in the battle for safety after only picking up one point in their last three games. Nevertheless, they played three excellent games against elite competition—against Ipswich Town, Southampton, and Hull City.
The Blues might make a small statement to the other teams at the bottom now that they are playing a team in a similar situation to them. They are aware, though, that facing a resurgent Lions team will not be a simple task.
Here’s how two writers from The Real EFL envision the outcome of the game:
Newsome Ivan
“The Lions haven’t gained too much ground despite Millwall’s recent form because a number of teams in their vicinity have also improved. The most crucial thing is that they haven’t lost ground, and since Neil Harris took over, the club has been much more positive.
Birmingham is also barely above the drop zone, so the struggle for survival is getting fiercer there as well. Even though they may not have scored many points, their strong recent performances against some of the best teams will boost their confidence. In their remaining eleven games, they could be able to win a couple against weaker opponents.
Although a victory would put the Blues just outside of the bottom three, the victor is by no means guaranteed to be safe. Though I think they would cancel each other out, three points for either side would be very significant.
Millwall Birmingham City 1-1
Charlie Beeston
“Millwall’s performance has started to improve under new head coach Neil Harris. Any team in the bottom half of the standings would be proud of their seven points in the previous nine games, but they haven’t been able to escape the relegation struggle because of the improving play of the teams surrounding them. Their defense has strengthened, which is something they have worked upon—certainly needed in light of some of their former regime’s performances.
In the league, Birmingham is now slightly behind their opponents for the weekend. However, they haven’t played as well as Millwall recently. Nonetheless, the defeats are understandable given that their previous three opponents are all among the top six. The team will be more confident after their midweek away tie at Hull City, thus a draw is the likely outcome in this one.
Birmingham City 0–Millwall
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