Millwall vs Crystal Palace: Two depleted rivals to play out a low-scoring stalemate

Millwall v Crystal Palace
Saturday January 8th, 12:45
Live on ITV

FA Cup winner Vieira likely to respect the competition

As a player, Patrick Vieira was a five-time FA Cup winner with his final competitive appearance for Arsenal ending in a penalty shoot-out victory at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. This will be the Frenchman's first dalliance with the iconic competition since stepping into management and he will be hoping that his side can put together a decent cup run this season.

At 51.050/1 in the FA Cup outright market, they are a tempting proposition to make it to the showpiece event, however, they've been dealt an extremely tough third round draw against neighbours Millwall.

Attacking absentees could give fringe players a chance to shine

Although the majority of Premier League clubs have been hindered by AFCON, only Liverpool and Watford have more key players heading to Cameroon than the Eagles. Wilfried Zaha, Cheikhou Kouyate and Jordan Ayew are all competing in the international tournament this month, however, Jeffrey Schlupp was not selected by Ghana and will be available for this FA Cup tie.

Christian Benteke returned to the XI on New Year's Day and with Jean-Phillipe Mateta and Michael Olise having both impressed recently, Vieira still has plenty of options in the final third. Olise has registered a goal or assist every 63 minutes and he has been promised further opportunities during the second half of the campaign.

At 10/3 to score anytime on the Sportsbook, the former Reading man's quality and unpredictability could make the difference in this competitive contest.

Although Conor Gallagher may not be fit enough to feature, Will Hughes has hit form and the likes of Eberechi Eze and Jairo Riedewald will see this contest as a chance to stake a claim for a regular spot in the XI.

Lions will look to frustrate the visitors

Millwall fans were left disappointed by their side's performance against Bristol City last weekend. The Lions failed to build on their 2-1 lead with many supporters accusing their side of sitting too deep and inviting pressure during the second half.

Despite this recent set-back, the Lions have a decent record against better opposition. They've lost just twice against top half opposition in the Championship this season and have managed to pick up a point against high-flying trio Bournemouth, Blackburn and West Brom.

Fulham are the only top-half side to have netted more than a single goal against Gary Rowett's side so far this season, and the home side will look to make this difficult for their local rivals. At 1.758/11, Under 2.5 Goals could be the best option here. This has paid out in seven of Millwall's 11 home matches and although playmaker Jed Wallace is reportedly back in training this week, he continues to be linked with a move away from SE16.

Palace could be left frustrated in New Cross

The Bermondsey outfit have struggled for numbers across the festive period and having played three consecutive away games throughout December and five matches on the road since November 20th, Gary Rowett will be pleased to return to the Den.

The game is sold out and there should be a raucous atmosphere inside the stadium. These two rivals haven't met since 2013, however, the Lions have failed to score in three of the last four meetings between these two London clubs.

Nevertheless, the hosts tend to be perform strongly against better opposition and they would relish the chance to dump their rivals out of this competition. Palace have plenty of individual quality, however, they look a little too short in the match betting at 2.186/5 to secure a victory at this intimidating venue.

Extra time may be required

Both sides can be relatively satisfied with their respective mid-table positions and although there are several key games on the horizon, neither manager is likely to disregard this fixture. However, Millwall tend to thrive against better opposition and they should remain competitive throughout the 90 minutes.

Backing the draw at 3.211/5 may be the best option in this televised local derby.