‘Millwall Have Found Confidence’ – A Look At City’s FA Cup Opponents
- Leicester City face Millwall in the Emirates FA Cup on Saturday afternoon
- The third round fixture at The Den has a 12:30pm GMT kick-off
- City enter the competition unbeaten in 10 Sky Bet Championship games
- Millwall have won their last three under new manager Joe Edwards
A busy stint in the Sky Bet Championship, which leaves Leicester top with a 10-point advantage, comes to an end as Enzo Maresca's side turn their focus, for the first time this season, to the FA Cup.
Saturday’s opponents Millwall are in decent form with three successive wins, remaining unbeaten since their 3-2 defeat at King Power Stadium in December. Evans referenced the recent turnaround in performances that has led to hope in the capital.
“I think that first half at Leicester, when Millwall were leading, has given them confidence,” the reporter explained. “Since then, the performances have improved, and other results have gone their way.
“Three wins since Christmas, which I think no other Championship team has managed and 10 points out of 12. The whole shape of the season has changed, the feeling has changed and it’s quite an exciting time.
“Millwall have grown every game with their on the ball work and are more comfortable in possession, but I think the main thing is that they’ve tightened up. We’ve gone back to basics to make sure we don’t concede as many.
“Our game against Bristol City on the opening day was awful for 45 minutes, but then they felt at ease to open up the game at their own pace. It’s about finding a new way to win games and they’re doing that.”
After a rocky start to the campaign, which saw them enter December with only five league wins, the Lions have shown signs of improvement, keeping the door shut at one end, and performing better to net at the other.
Joe Edwards, who took the reins in November, has won as many as he’s lost in his first 11 games, and Evans believes he has cultivated a positive environment at the Den, demonstrated in the 1-0 triumph over Norwich City - their last home fixture.
“The capitulations have stopped which is incredibly helpful,” the Southwark News journalist stated. “The season has been stop and start, but now the aim is to improve and cut out the silly mistakes that they had in the first half of the season.
“Millwall being mid-table, and between relegation and the play-offs is a fair estimation of where they should be. There was a lot of fans who knew the manager needed time, and it’s certainly come.
“The fans really got behind the team against Norwich and that was a tough game, but it made all the difference so if we can do the same thing against Leicester, it will make the game that much tighter.”
The reporter believes that the return of midfielder George Honeyman has sparked life back into Millwall but was quick to point out that the recent resurgence is a team effort, and not based on individuals.
The south London side place importance on this competition and are aiming for a passage to the fourth round, but will have to get past a Leicester side who are showing their quality in the second division of English football.
Evans added: “It’s been a collective environment where everyone has improved slightly, but one player to watch out for is George Honeyman. He had a long injury before coming back in October, and didn’t settle straight into the team, but now he’s sat in the middle alongside George Saville, who will be suspended for this one, and has been driving the team forward with his energy.
“I think for a club like Millwall, who will probably end up mid-table in most Championship seasons, the FA Cup is so important. Clubs like Leicester and Ipswich might forget about it because they’ve got bigger things to focus on, but it’s certainly a main focus for us.
“They could lose the game, because it’s against Leicester who have been incredible so far, but as long as they show the fight that they have done recently, then that’ll be a big thing. It’s a massive game, because of a lot of Millwall’s success in recent times have come in this competition.”