Tony Mowbray issues Millwall vs West Brom team news hint as midfielder makes Lions 'reputation' claim

Millwall take on West Brom on Saturday as they look to bounce back from their surprise drubbing at the hands of Plymouth Argyle during the week. The Lions are 14th in the table as things stand, and they will host a Baggies side currently sixth and clinging on to a play-off spot under relatively new boss Tony Mowbray.

The Midlands side were also beaten during the week, losing to Blackburn Rovers, but they were not helped by the loss of Kyle Bartley to suspension, with the centre-back potentially facing an extended ban following his reaction to a late goal conceded against Sheffield Wednesday, receiving his red card after the full-time whistle.

Mason Holgate and Torbjorn Heggem were the partnership chosen at centre-back in the absence of Bartley last time out, but Mowbray has hinted at giving Semi Ajayi his chance to impress against Millwall. “Yeah, maybe,” the Baggies boss said, as cited by the Express and Star.

“But I don’t think Semi is Bartley, is he? He’s six foot five, lightning fast. Bartley seems to have the personality to engage with the team, make accountability on the pitch. I’m not sure Semi’s personality is that, while he’s a lovely lad and has got wonderful attributes, I’m not sure one of those is the commanding of the team.”

Ajayi has made just 12 league appearances so far this season, and he is playing for his future, out of contract at the end of the season and now aged 31. Even if he is not to get a new deal at The Hawthorns, he will want to prove himself to other clubs.

West Brom man on Millwall test

West Brom star Isaac Price is looking forward to his first trip to The Den, expecting a tough atmosphere. He told the Baggies club site: “I’m looking forward to it. It’s one of those places that if you grow up in England, you know all about Millwall. It’s got a reputation and the fans make it difficult for opposition players. We know we’ll be getting stick, but that’s what football is about and it’s something you have to deal with.

“I can’t wait to go there and hopefully we can bag ourselves a win. We’re trying to work on finding ways to break teams down at the moment. We know a lot of the teams we play against will look to make things difficult for us. We have some very talented players in the final third area and we’ll need to find ways to break teams down, starting with Millwall on Saturday. The more chances we can create, the more chances we’ll get to score goals and win games. That’s what we’ll be looking to do at Millwall.”

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