West Bromwich Albion vs Millwall predictions and betting tips – Lions aim to bounce back

Millwall’s hopes of achieving automatic promotion to the Premier League were dealt a blow on Easter Monday, as the south Londoners suffered a 2-1 home defeat by Norwich City.

Will the Lions bounce back when they head to the Black Country on Friday night, or will West Bromwich Albion take a step towards Championship survival by triumphing on home turf?

• Draw – 23/20 with Betfred
• West Brom to score first – 4/5 with Midnite
• Callum Styles to be shown a card – 19/5 with Ladbrokes

West Brom vs Millwall odds

Find the latest West Bromwich Albion vs Millwall betting odds here. All odds are provided by our recommended football bookmakers and are subject to change.

West Brom vs Millwall predictions

Some teams are better suited to chasing down others than leading from the front. After the Easter weekend, Millwall fans are wondering whether they are one of them.

A 2-1 victory over promotion rivals Middlesbrough on Good Friday saw Millwall climb above their opponents and into the top two of the Championship.

Alex Neil’s team rode their luck at times at the Riverside Stadium, but after a difficult first half they scored twice in the second period to turn the game around.

That success saw Millwall enter the automatic promotion places for the first time all season. All of a sudden, there was a degree of pressure on the Championship upstarts.

Millwall struggled to handle it. Instead of pressing home their advantage, the Lions sank to a 2-1 loss to Norwich City at The Den on Easter Monday, paving the way for both Ipswich Town and Middlesbrough to overtake them.

Millwall have relished their role as underdogs throughout this campaign. However, it was hard for them to assume that status after climbing to second in the standings, and Norwich came from a goal down to maintain their excellent recent away form.

“[It was a] disappointing day,” Neil said afterwards. “I didn’t think over the piece we did enough to get anything out of the game. 

“Once we got our noses in front, I was confident that we could get something from the match at that point. But we didn’t defend two moments anywhere near well enough, and ultimately it cost us.”

Millwall are now playing catch-up again, a position they seem better suited to. But there is a concern that they may have missed the boat as far as automatic promotion is concerned. 

Although the Lions are level with Ipswich and Middlesbrough on 72 points, the former have two games in hand. They are now in pole position to join Coventry City in the Premier League.

West Bromwich Albion have more modest ambitions for the remainder of what has been a tumultuous campaign for the Baggies.

James Morrison’s men are inching towards safety, but a four-point buffer above the bottom three means it is still too close for comfort for West Brom. With five games left to play, there is still plenty of work to be done.

West Brom vs Millwall betting tips

West Bromwich Albion and Millwall will open the Championship weekend on Friday.

Honours even at Hawthorns

West Bromwich Albion are still involved in the relegation battle, but they have at least shown signs of life in recent weeks.

Interim manager Morrison deserves great credit for that. On his watch, West Brom have gone six matches unbeaten to boost their position relative to that of their relegation rivals.

The Baggies have gone back to basics under the guidance of the former midfielder, who has also given the players the confidence to express themselves at the right moments.

West Brom are far from the finished article, but we expect them to once again avoid defeat this weekend.

Select a draw at 23/20 with Betfred

Hosts to strike first

In their last five matches, West Bromwich Albion have opened the scoring four times. The exception was last weekend’s draw with Blackburn Rovers, when neither side found the net.

With the home crowd behind them under the Hawthorns floodlights on Friday, there is a good chance West Brom will draw first blood here too.

Millwall tend to come on strong away from home. No team in the Championship has a better record from minutes 46 to 90 at opposition grounds.

But West Brom can strike first against Neil’s charges, as the hosts attempt to take another step closer to survival.

Choose West Brom to score first at 4/5 with Midnite

Styles in ref’s notebook

Callum Styles is no stranger to having his name taken by the referee.

The West Bromwich Albion has received 11 yellow cards this season; of Championship players, only Matt Crooks has been cautioned more often.

Styles likes to get stuck in and he will not shirk a challenge against Millwall, who are known for their intense, aggressive style of play.

Able to play either at left-back or further up on that flank, Styles will give as good as he has got on Friday night. Do not be surprised if he oversteps the mark enough to earn himself another booking.

Back Callum Styles to be shown a card at 19/5 with Ladbrokes

West Brom vs Millwall predicted lineups

• West Bromwich Albion expected lineup: O’Leary; Imray, Phillips, Campbell, Styles; Jimoh-Aloba, Molumby, Diakite, Price; Maja, Heggebo.
• Millwall expected lineup: Patterson; Crama, Taylor, Cooper, Sturge; Bannan, De Norre; Azeez; Neghli; Coburn, Ivanovic.

Where to watch West Brom vs Millwall

• Location: The Hawthorns, West Bromwich Albion, England.
• Date and time: Friday 10th April, 8pm.
• How to watch: Sky Sports Football.

More Championship predictions

We have plenty more Championship predictions and picks – find our latest betting tips from expert punters in our match preview overview.

About the author

Greg Lea

Greg Lea is a freelance football writer from London. He predominantly covers the Premier League and has had work published by the Guardian, FourFourTwo, ESPN and others.

Follow Greg on X: @GregLeaFootball

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