Millwall are set to host Reading at the Den in the EFL Championship on Tuesday. The away side have lost the last three games while the home side also tasted defeat in their previous away trip. Can Reading bounce back from their successive defeats in the game against Millwall?
Millwall are placed in the 12th in the Championship with five wins, six draws and four losses in 15 games. They are separated from the last playoff spot by three points. In their previous game in the Championship against Huddersfield, they suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat when Jonathan Hogg scored late in the second half. Before their recent defeat, the Lions were on a decent run of form in the league with four wins in their previous six encounters, with impressive wins against Stoke City and Sheffield United. Jed Wallace has been in brilliant form for Millwall scoring five goals and adding a further four assists in fourteen games in the Championship. As far as the head-to-head record is concerned against Reading, Millwall have the advantage, winning three out of their last five meetings. George Evans remains unavailable for the match against Reading as he is still nursing an injury. Mason Benett could be in contention for starting eleven. Other than Evans, Millwall do not have any new injury concerns.
In their previous game against Huddersfield, Millwall were dominated in terms of multiple attacking metrics. They took just three shots in the entire game while their opponents took 13. Although they were able to contain Huddersfield till the final quarter of the second half, Millwall succumbed to the pressure and fell behind in the 83rd minute, allowing Huddersfield to take three points from the match.
Millwall have been dominant in the air in the league with high success rate in their aerial duels. They are at the top both in terms of successful aerial duels and successful aerial duels per 90.
After a decent start to their season in the Championship, Reading’s form has declined in their recent games. Reading have suffered defeat in each of their last three matches. Recently they lost 2-0 against the Championship leaders Bournemouth. As a result, they have slipped down to the 16th spot in the league with six wins, one draw and eight losses in their 15 games. The Royals would be looking to end their recent slump with an away victory against Millwall although it would be a difficult feat to achieve given the fact that they have lost only a few games at home this season. Reading’s poor form recently can also be attributed to the multiple injuries that have plagued them. Michael Morrison, Andy Rinomhota, Junior Hoilett, Tom McIntyre, Lucas Joao and Yakou Meite all remain unavailable for the match against Millwall while Halilovic is doubtful to appear as well.
Although Reading were more threatening initially during the first half in their recent defeat as indicated by the xT timeline, Bournemouth shifted the gears just before the break, taking the lead through Dominic Solanke. Jamal Lowe added another after the break to give his side a two-goal lead which took the game away from Reading. 
Despite their recent slump, Reading are placed at a respectable eighth spot in the Championship in terms of goals, while they average 1.31 goals per 90. However, in their previous games, Reading were unable to hit the target multiple times. They have been heavily relying on John Swift to provide them with goals. But despite taking fewer shots than many other teams in the championship, Reading have scored a decent number of goals.
Predicted XI
Millwall (3-4-3) – Bialkowski; Ballard, Hutchinson, Cooper; Leonard, Saville, Mitchell, Malone; Wallace, Bradshaw, Kieftenbeld.
Reading (4-4-1-1) – Southwood; Yiadom, Moore, Dann, Baba; Dele-Bashiru, Drinkwater, Laurent, Ejaria; Swift; Puscas.
Prediction
Reading’s injury concerns mean that Millwall will have the upper hand in the match. Millwall might edge this one out narrowly.
