Millwall dealt double injury blow ahead of Sheffield Wednesday and Southampton

Millwall look to bounce back from a 3-1 defeat to Portsmouth at Fratton Park with home clashes against Sheffield Wednesday and Southampton over the next six days.

Alex Neil has just a matter of days to prepare his Lions side prior to each fixture against the two teams both languishing in the bottom half of the table. On Wednesday, the Owls will themselves be looking for a response following a 3-0 derby day defeat to Sheffield United.

Meanwhile, Southampton will be buoyed by an emphatic recent trip to London having thrashed Charlton Athletic 5-1 at The Valley on Saturday. The Saints welcome Leicester City in midweek action.

Ex Chelsea man suffers concussion against Portsmouth

Neil had welcomed back some first team stars following the two-week recovery period provided by the international break but now has fresh concerns following the trip to the south coast. Both Zak Sturge and Derek Mazou-Sacko limped out of the action at Fratton Park.

Sturge, who joined Millwall on a permanent deal from Chelsea this summer following a loan spell, was stretchered off in the 37th minute having taken a ball to the face from a Terry Devlin cross. The 21-year-old was replaced by Joe Bryan, who will certainly miss out against Sheffield Wednesday and Southampton as he went on to receive a red card.

Speaking after the game, Neil was asked by Southwark News whether that was a concussion and said: “I believe so. We used a concussion sub, hence the reason why we put so many players on. So we used an extra one.

“I believe that if he has got a concussion or he was unconscious at any point, then that’s the only way we could use that. That’s why I was saying I don’t think it’s a muscular injury by the looks of it.”

Alex Neil handed double injury blow ahead of Sheffield Wednesday

That means that Sturge will have to follow FA protocols on recovering from a concussion and will certainly miss out against Sheffield Wednesday and Southampton. Meanwhile, Mazou-Sacko was taken off in the 55th minute with an injury.

The 21-year-old had started five of the previous six Championship outings and would be a big miss for Millwall given his growing importance. Speaking about his problem, Neil said: “It looks as if he’s planted his knee.

“It was a bit of a naughty challenge in the middle of the pitch, which I thought their lad got away with, which was frustrating. It’s not looking good at the moment, but I can’t tell.”

In other news, Sheffield Wednesday and Southampton boost as 'excellent' Millwall star suspended.