Scott Parker once branded Millwall a ‘pantomime’ but he must now play the villain to kill their play-off dreams

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The final day of the season is upon us, and Burnley host Millwall at Turf Moor with both sides absolutely desperate to get all three points; a challenge that suits Scott Parker to the ground.

Burnley’s relentless march to promotion has seen them pick up 97 points along the way, and they now have potential to end up with 100 on the board.

That huge points haul could end up being a Championship record if Burnley lose out on the title to Leeds United on the final day.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	LeedsLeeds	45	28	13	4	93	29	64	97
2	BurnleyBurnley	45	27	16	2	66	15	51	97
3	Sheff UtdSheffield Utd	45	28	7	10	62	35	27	89
4	SunderlandSunderland	45	21	13	11	58	43	15	76
5	Bristol CityBristol City	45	17	16	12	57	53	4	67
6	CoventryCoventry	45	19	9	17	62	58	4	66

Scott Parker will be full of confidence with his team on a 32-game unbeaten run and flying after big wins over Sheffield United and QPR in recent weeks.

But, a strong Millwall side stand in Burnley’s way, and the Lions will not make it easy for the Clarets.

• READ MORE: EFL expert outlines Burnley stat which is ‘almost more mental than 30 clean sheets’ after QPR demolition

What Scott Parker said about Millwall previously

Before their previous meeting back in November, Parker was under no illusions as to the challenge his team would face in heading to The Den, especially with the Burnley boss carrying strong ties to Millwall’s fierce rivals West Ham.

At the time, he said: “I’ve been there a couple of times and it’s not the friendliest place at times. It’s part and parcel of it though, isn’t it?

“Sometimes it’s just the pantomime of football and the game we’re in, but I’m older and wiser and I’ve been around it a long time. That’s the way it is.”

Millwall actually won that game in November, and they’re still the last team to best Burnley. Suffice to say, Parker knew what he would be coming up against before the game, and his predictions came true.

He had said: “This will be a tough game. It’s a tough place to go, it’s a certain style in which they play, so there’s a big test ahead of this young team at the weekend. In saying that, we’re on a good run and we’re in a good place. We’ve got the quality to go to Millwall and cause them massive problems as well.

“We need to have a mindset going into the game of what we’re going to face and the challenges we’re going to face, but also understanding where we can bring our quality and cause them problems.”

Burnley’s incredible record going into this reverse fixture will stand them in good stead, but they’ll know that Millwall will bring everything they’ve got to ruin the final day party for the Clarets in what should be a physical and fiery game.

• READ MORE: Scott Parker and Alex Neil had ‘no complaints’ over fiery 2019 clash, now both must stay cool ahead of crucial weekend

Burnley have to finish the season strong and believe they can win the title

Despite Burnley’s best efforts, it looks like goal difference will ultimately hand the Championship title to Leeds United this year.

All signs point to a Leeds win against lowly Plymouth Argyle on Saturday, but stranger things have happened in this incredible and unpredictable league already this season.

To that end, Burnley simply have to do their job and get the win they need, and it will either be enough or it won’t. But, the one thing Parker and his men would really regret is if they failed to win on Saturday and saw Leeds slip up as well.

Millwall will make it extremely difficult. They are one of the most in-form teams among the Championship play-off contenders heading into the final day, but Burnley’s resolute defence and increasingly prolific attack will make all the difference.