Match Preview: Sunderland v Millwall – all you need to know ahead of kick-off!
03/29/2025 02:00 AM
After a two week break to shake off our last outing, we entertain Alex Neil's Millwall at the Stadium of Light this afternoon - here's al you need to know ahead of kick-off.
Saturday 29th March 2025
(4th) Sunderland v Millwall (11th)
Championship
Stadium of Light
Kick-Off: 15:00
Tickets & Match Coverage
Tickets: Tickets are available via www.safc.com.
TV/Stream: Full live match coverage available via www.safc.com.
Radio: Full live match commentary available via BBC Radio Newcastle (not online)
Don't forget to follow the blow-by-blow account of the game on the Roker Report Twitter feed (@RokerReport) and check out the player ratings after the full-time whistle at www.RokerReport.com!
The build-up...
The last time Millwall visited the Stadium of Light, we desperately wanted the season to end just over a year ago. This time, we have everything to play for — kind of.
It's going to be a strange end to the season as a couple more victories will likely be enough for a play-off place, and after that, it's all about preparing for who we will face in the semi-final. Our entry into the international break wasn't a comfortable one at Coventry City and was maybe a symptom of getting our heads around playing out the rest of the season - but we're back at the Stadium of Light this afternoon to take on Alex Neil's Millwall.
Being back at home, we can look past our previous outing for a moment and remind ourselves that we have the third-best home record in the division, having lost only one of 19 so far. Only three sides have scored more and only four have conceded fewer on home soil - hopefully we can get back to remembering we're actually a bloody good side in our own back yard.
Injuries mean that all eyes will be on the manager's starting XI, with the possibility of a change of system being debated in the build-up as well as the chances of providing players with a couple of weeks out to recharge the batteries, especially those who have been away on international duty.
Millwall usually do their thing under the radar, this being their eighth season in the Championship and other than one season where they finished 21st, they have finished between 8th and 13th, but they have hit the headlines over the past couple of months due to their goalkeeper reenacting Harald Schumacher's challenge on Patrick Battison back in 1982 at Crystal Palace.
Beyond that, they began the season with previous player, and previous manager, Neil Harris in charge, who returned from Cambridge United back in February of last year. Harris would last until December. Alex Neil would be the man to take charge and having been 13th in the table when Harris left, Neil has steadied the ship. With eight games to go, they sit six points off the play-offs and they're in a decent run of for,m having won six and lost three of the last twelve, but scoring goals is the problem.
Only 17 have been scored on the road and in total only Luton Town have scored fewer goals, but this means they have the sixth best defensive record in the Championship, which is likely to mean they will frustrate us for as long as possible this afternoon and hope they get that chance to nick it.
The betting...
The bookies have the Lads as favourites at 3/5 for the win, with Millwall priced at 19/4 to pick up all three points and the draw is 13/5.
Head to head... at Sunderland
(All competitions)
- Sunderland wins: 11
- Draws: 5
- Millwall wins: 4
- Sunderland goals: 42
- Millwall goals: 18
Last time we met... at the Stadium of Light
Saturday 20th April 2024
Sky Bet Championship
Sunderland 0-1 Millwall
[Watmore 71']
Sunderland: Patterson, Pembele (Ba), O'Nien, Ballard, Alese (Mundle), Styles (Evans), Ekwah, Rigg (Aouchiche), Dack (Hume), Bellingham, Clarke Substitutes not used: Bishop, Hjelde, Burstow, Hemir
Millwall: Sarkic, Leonard, McNamara, De Norre (Hutchinson), Tanganga, Cooper, Honeyman (Watmore), Saville, Obafemi (Bradshaw), Flemming, Longman (Norton-Cuffy) Substitutes not used: Bialkowski, Harding, Esse, Mayor, Nisbet
Attendance: 40,743
Played for both...
Alex Rae
The Glasgow-born midfielder began his career at Falkirk where he spent three years making a name for himself in Scotland before a £100,000 move to Millwall came in 1990.
Rae spent six years at Millwall making well over 200 appearances before coming Sunderland's first ever £1 million signing in the summer of 1996 as we began life as a Premier League club for the first time. After five years on Wearside, Rae moved to Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2001.
