Stoke City boss makes 'expect' Alex Neil claim ahead of Millwall clash
Millwall take on strugglers Stoke City on Saturday as they look to get back to winning ways.
Stoke City boss Mark Robins has been speaking ahead of his side’s clash with Millwall on Saturday. The Potters and the Lions go head-to-head at The Den in one of the early Championship kick-offs, and Millwall will be hoping to bounce back from a defeat to high-flyers Leeds United.
The Lions are currently in 13th spot, looking likely to settle for a mid-table or top-half finish this season, although a playoff charge still can’t be ruled out with only eight points between them and the top six.
Though, if Alex Neil’s men are going to make a run for the top six, a very good run of form is going to have to begin in the next couple of weeks given the number of teams currently between them and the play-off spots. As for Stoke, they are currently in 19th and far from safe from the relegation battle.
The Potters are just four points clear of the drop zone, and some of the teams below them are starting to hit form. Stoke won during the week, but that win came after four games without one, so Robins’ men are not in good form as they make the trip to The Den.
That is often the case for teams fighting relegation, but they are dangerous because of their desperation, and Neil’s Millwall will be well aware of that factor. From Stoke’s point of view, Neil’s history with them adds an extra layer of motivation. “We have got to recover well,” Robins said in his pre-match press conference.
“We have got a tough game against one of the former managers from here in Alex. He’s just gone in at Millwall and you know what to expect from his teams and the players that he has. It was a tough game for them at Leeds United. They all are – we have had a tough one here against Blackburn.”