Town boss Mick McCarthy believes new Millwall manager Ian Holloway has inherited a decent squad even if the Lions are currently fourth from bottom of the Championship. The Blues travel to the Den - where McCarthy began his management career - looking for their first win for five games.
"I think his squad’s fine,” McCarthy said. "I think they’ve got as good a squad as we’ve got, I don’t doubt that at all. There might be certain positions [where we’re better], I’ll let everybody else determine that.
"But I don’t look at Millwall and think that their squad’s not a good squad. When we beat them down here, I know it was 3-0 but there was probably a bit of a gloss on it. It was a really tough game.”
Holloway will be in charge of his first home game since taking over after Steve Lomas’s sacking on Saturday, having lost 1-0 at Huddersfield last week, somewhat unfortunately, McCarthy believes.
"We watched them against Huddersfield at the weekend, me and TC, and it was in the 90th minute when Huddersfield scored and they put in a good performance. I think they’ll respond to Ollie and he’ll get results with him.”
While he enjoyed his time at the Den as both a player and a manager, McCarthy’s only concern on Saturday is getting three points for Town: "I’m going back to play against them, I’ve got no feelings whatsoever this Saturday, I want to go and win.
"But, of course, I have [feelings for them other than when we’re playing them] because they did give me my chance in management.
"They took me on as a player and gave me a chance as a player-manager and I’ve really good feelings towards them because it was a great opportunity for me.
"At 32 years of age, to get the player-manager’s job, it was a great opportunity, a great grounding, a great experience and it’s helped me become the manager I am.”
He has fond memories of Millwall’s late chairman Reg Burr, who gave him his start in management at such a relatively young age: "He was a great fella, I used to go and have dinner with him about once a fortnight.
"It was great, they were the board meetings, they were fantastic meetings — just dinner, a couple of beers and a bottle of wine between us. Not sure we achieved a great deal, but they were great!
"He gave me an opportunity. He saw something in me and he was very good to me. I liked Reg, I got on very well with him.”
After the defeats to QPR last Saturday and Preston in the FA Cup on Tuesday and with Town’s last win having come at Doncaster on Boxing Day, McCarthy is determined to get back to form as soon as possible: "We’ve lost one in the league, but nevertheless we’ve lost two on the bounce. I certainly don’t want it to be three.”
The Blues boss looks set to recall Dean Gerken in goal while Luke Chambers and Aaron Cresswell are likely to return at right-back and left-back respectively having recovered from the niggles which kept them out of the FA Cup match at Preston.
Millwall lined-up in a 4-3-3 formation at Huddersfield last week, which suggests McCarthy will probably continue to employ the same system with Cole Skuse behind Luke Hyam and Ryan Tunnicliffe.
Up front, David McGoldrick and Daryl Murphy seem certain starters with Paul Anderson, Frank Nouble, Paul Taylor and Stephen Hunt — who impressed at Preston — all vying for the other role.
The Blues manager is delighted to be able to call on Murphy again believing the Irish striker is playing the best football of his career: "Sometimes he puts all the graft in and doesn’t get the goal for it. David McGoldrick or somebody else gets the goal and Murph comes off [without getting the plaudits].
"But that happens in every team, the goals are always appreciated more. I think he’s had his fair share this year [seven] and I think it’s the best he’s played for me this season and I’d argue that if he’s ever played any better then he must have been playing bloody well.
"We should have signed him before if he’s been playing better than he is now. He’s been very, very good this season, a real handful to everybody.”
Striker Sylvan Ebanks-Blake won’t be involved until February at the earliest due to his hamstring injury, while Tyrone Mings and Carlos Edwards are doubts having taken knocks at Preston. Anthony Wordsworth won’t be involved having only just returned to training after tonsillitis.
Former Blue Liam Trotter could be back for the Lions after a knee problem and defender Scott Malone following a rib injury, while skipper Paul Robinson (thigh) and winger Liam Feeney (hamstring) are also close to returning to action and could be involved. Striker Jermaine Easter is suspended.
The Lions have signed right-back Ryan Fredericks, 21, on a three-month loan from Tottenham.
Blues manager McCarthy was a Millwall player at the end of his career between 1990 and 1992, when he took over as boss. He remained manager at the Den until 1996 when he took charge of the Republic of Ireland.
McCarthy’s record as manager of the Lions reads played 203, won 74, drew 70 and lost 59. In 1993/94 they finished third in what’s now the Championship but lost out to Derby County in the play-off semi-finals.
Town coach Mark Kennedy started his playing career with Millwall, making 46 starts and eight sub appearances and scoring 12 goals between 1992 and 1995.
Ipswich-born Trotter moved to the Den from Portman Road during the summer of 2010 after a loan spell, turning down a contract with the Blues.
Lee Martin joined Millwall after leaving Portman Road last summer, while ex-Blues loan keeper Stephen Bywater also moved to the Lions during the close season after departing Sheffield Wednesday.
Striker Andy Keogh had a trial with the Town academy when a schoolboy, while keeper David Forde was understood to be interesting the Blues last summer.
The sides are closely-matched historically, Millwall having won 18 games (17 in the league) and Town 18 (15), while 13 (13) have ended in draws. The Lions have lost six of their last seven games in all competitions, drawing the other match in that run, and have won only once in their last 10.
In August, in Town’s first home game of the season, the Blues beat Millwall 3-0. After a goalless first hour, Shane Lowry diverted an Aaron Cresswell ball past keeper Bywater in the 63rd minute before Smith powered home a trademark header on 70.
Mark Beevers inadvertently converted an Elliott Hewitt cross with seven minutes left on the clock, Paul Anderson subsequently being somewhat generously awarded the goal.
Last time at the Den, in April last year, Town claimed their fourth point of the two Easter fixtures as their visit to Millwall ended in a 0-0 draw.
Luke Hyam and Michael Chopra both had chances for Town, while Lions defender Lowry came closest to breaking the deadlock when he struck the outside of the post with a freekick in the second half.
Fans travelling to Saturday's game by train should note that South Bermondsey station is closed with buses running from London Bridge. Various alternative routes — and drinking establishments — have been suggested by Linhdi on the TWTD forum.
Squad from: Gerken, Loach, Chambers, Hammond, Cresswell, Mings, Smith, Berra, Skuse, Hyam, Tunnicliffe, Tabb, Hunt, Edwards, Anderson, McGoldrick, Murphy, Nouble, Taylor, Lee.