On Wednesday 16th March 2022, 11th placed Millwall will take on third-placed Huddersfield Town in the EFL Championship. In the reverse fixture back in October 2021, it was Huddersfield that came out on top 1-0 at The John Smith’s stadium. Jonathan Hogg scored the only goal of the game. Coming into this match, Millwall were held to a goalless draw against Middlesbrough, and Huddersfield drew 2-2 against West Bromwich Albion.
Millwall come into this game after being held to a goalless draw against Middlesbrough. This means that in their last four games, Millwall have scored just twice. Millwall’s record now stands at 14 wins, 12 draws, and 10 losses. xGA predicted Millwall to concede 52 goals till this point in the season, but they have allowed to let in just 34 goals – a massive overachievement at the back.
While Millwall are great defensively, it is going forward where they are struggling. No Millwall player has reached double figures in goals this season. Their top goalscorer, Tom Bradshaw, has only seven goals to his name. Jed Wallace and Benik Afobe are the joint second-highest goalscorers for Millwall this season. Millwall have missed quite a few big chances this season, as shown above in the shot map.
Midfielder Jed Wallace and defender Scott Malone are Millwall’s most successful threat creators this season. Both players primarily generate threats from corner kicks and crosses. Due to his threat creation, Jed Wallace is the team’s leader in assists.
Huddersfield Town are arriving into this game after drawing 2-2 with West Brom. Danny Ward scored both the goals for Huddersfield in that game. This result leaves Huddersfield with 17 wins, 12 draws, and eight losses to their name. Huddersfield have scored 51 goals this season, but xG predicted them to score only 44 times. Hence, they have overachieved going forward.
Despite their overachievement in attack, Huddersfield are nowhere near the best attacking side this season in the division. They rank below the 60th percentile in several categories, including goals per 90, xG per 90, assists per 90, xA per 90, and key passes per 90, to name a few.
This match is a clash of an overachieving defense (Millwall) and an overachieving attack (Huddersfield). It will be interesting to see who comes out on top in this encounter. Huddersfield need a win to keep up the pressure on Bournemouth. They are currently in the promotion play-off spots, but they still have a chance for automatic promotion. Millwall, on the other hand, are five points off the promotion play-off spots thanks solely to their defense. A win for them will boost their hopes for a promotion play-offs appearance.
