Millwall travel to Turf Moor this evening to take on Burnley in the Sky Bet Championship.
The Lions come into the fixture on the back of a 1-0 defeat at The Den against Reading on Saturday.
But the Clarets come into the game after a 5-1 victory against Wigan Athletic, their biggest win of the season so far.
Matt from @NoNayNever gives us his views on Burnley:
How do you expect it to go for your club this season?
Before the season started, having changed manager and most of the starting 11, we were struggling to predict how this season would go. We were hoping that we would be in and around the play off places, and maybe even the top 2, but we also were prepared for a longer transition period as the team took time to gel and Kompany’s systems began to bear fruit. Now we are 6 games in, most Clarets are settling into a more positive frame of mind; they can see the potential in the team and maybe one or two more additions either this week or in January, along with the team working better together with each match could see us challenging for promotion come the Spring.
Do you have the right manager?
Personally, I was very happy with the appointment of Vincent Kompany. After the departure of Sean Dyche, I was really hoping the new owners would be brave and look further afield for a younger, more adventurous manager, rather than picking one of the endless managerial merry-go-round of English clubs. Early indications show that whilst he may still have plenty to learn about the Championship, his long term vision and plan seems to be the right one and, more importantly, he is attracting exciting young players from across Europe, something Dyche struggled to do.
How’s your transfer business?
Well, with many departures this summer we were always going to need to recruit a good number and I think at last count we were on 13, including 3 loans. The squad is almost unrecognisable, however after years of under-investment and allowing players to run down contracts, this was always going to happen. As I’ve already mentioned, the squad is clearly needing time to blend and start to look like a team, but on Saturday at Wigan we saw just how good that could be if we can keep key players fit.
Key Player who do we need to watch out for and why?
So far this season there have been a few stand out players. Before his red card against Blackpool, Ian Maatsen had barely put a foot wrong, surging forward from his left back role and adding some much needed urgency to the attack; Josh Cullen has come into midfield and been marshalling almost every minute of every game & Josh Brownhill has seemed to have found his level and his best role in a central attacking midfielder.
What formation and style of play do you play?
So we have settled into a 4-2-3-1 after getting a few more bodies in since the season began. The left back has licence to get forward when we are in possession with the defence shuffling into a back 3, protected by Cork and Cullen in defensive midfield roles. Kompany likes us to play out from the back which has led to some hairy moments with our new keeper Muric, brought in from City, but recent matches have shown he is learning to send it longer when needed. We have enjoyed a lot of possession in the early games, but until the last 2, had very little to show for it in the way of goals. Hopefully that blockage has now cleared and Kompany’s plan to share out the goals will come good.
What are your fans like and what do they expect of the players?
We have a mix of traditional, old school fans who will have struggled with all the changes this summer has brought and the new style of play, but they are the minority and are out-weighed by the rest of us who were ready for a refresh / reset and are enjoying this young, exciting squad.
How do you think the game will go and a prediction for the result?
After Saturday’s emphatic 5-1 win, the confidence will be high and with this match coming so soon after, the squad should be able to carry that into Tuesday, backed by hopefully another full house at the Turf who will be bouncing and right behind the team after the weekend. I imagine the starting 11 will be the same and they will approach the game in the same manner to take the game to Millwall and look to get ahead sooner rather than later and then manage the match through to the end.
IMAGE – MILLWALL FC