A spot in the FA Cup fifth round will be on the line when Leeds United and Millwall clash in the fourth round at Elland Road on Saturday.
The 2024/25 FA Cup season resumes this week, and Saturday will feature ten fourth-round ties. The action on the day will start with two simultaneous matches, including Leeds United vs Millwall at Elland Road.
Leeds United reached the FA Cup fourth round by beating Harrowgate Town 1-0 in the previous phase. On the other hand, Millwall beat Dagenham & Redbridge FC 3-0 to reach the FA Cup fourth round.
The Lions suffered a 1-0 defeat to Hull City immediately after the FA Cup third-round tie but have been on a four-game unbeaten streak. The run of results has taken Millwall to 14th in the EFL Championship standings, winning, drawing, and losing ten games thus far.
On the other hand, Leeds United will likely return to the Premier League after opening up a five-point buffer atop the EFL Championship table. The Whites have gone five games without a defeat since beating Harrogate Town in the FA Cup third round, with Burnley the only team to stop them from winning a game.
Leeds United and Millwall have clashed once this season, with Japhet Tanganga scoring the only goal in the match earlier this term. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Leeds United
Daniel Farke has no new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Leeds United manager will be bereft of the services of only one first-team player vs Millwall on Saturday.
Patrick Bumford is the only absentee, with the experienced striker recovering from a hamstring injury. Otherwise, Farke has a full-strength squad to take on Millwall in the FA Cup fourth-round tie at Elland Road this weekend.
Karl Darlow will likely replace Illan Meslier between the sticks, with Leeds United lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Millwall on Saturday. The backline should feature Issac Schmidt, Josuha Guilavogui, Pascal Struijk, and Sam Bryam.
As for the midfield unit, Ilia Gruev and Joe Rothwell should pair up in the double pivot. Brenden Aaronson will reprise the no. 10 role, with Largie Ramazani and Wilfried Gnonto being the two wide attackers. Finally, Mateo Joseph will lead the line for Leeds United against Millwall.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Darlow; Schmidt, Guilavogui, Struijk, Byram; Gruev, Rothwell; Gnonto, Aaronson, Ramazani; Joseph
Millwall
Like his counterpart in the Leeds United dugout, Alex Neil has no new issues to worry about ahead of the trip to Elland Road. The Millwall manager should be without five first-team players on Saturday.
Femi Azeez and Josh Coburn are closing in on returning to action but might not be fit enough to start this weekend. Shaun Hutchinson and Aidomo Emakhu are the other players who might be ready soon. However, Saturday’s game has come too soon for the duo. Meanwhile, Ryan Leonard will not be back from a calf injury until the end of March.
Lukas Jensen should take his spot between the sticks, with Millwall lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Leeds United on Saturday. The backline should feature Tristan Crama, Japhet Tanganga, Jake Cooper, and Joe Bryan.
As for the midfield unit, Billy Mitchell and Casper De Norre should pair up in the double pivot, looking to keep things tight in the middle of the park. George Honeyman should reprise the no. 10 role, with Duncan Watmore and Aaron Connolly being the two wide attackers. Finally, Mihailo Ivanovic will spearhead the Millwall attack against Leeds United.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Jensen; Crama, Tanganga, Cooper, Bryan; Mitchell, De Norre; Watmore, Honeyman, Connolly; Ivanovic
Key Stats
- Leeds United have won eight of their last nine home games vs Millwall in all competitions, the exception being a 4-3 loss in January 2018.
- Saturday’s match will be the first-ever FA Cup meeting between Leeds United and Millwall. The only previous cup competition in which they have faced was the Full Members Cup, with the Lions winning both meetings 2-0 (December 1987 and November 1988).
- Leeds United could reach the FA Cup fifth round for the third consecutive campaign, as many times as they had reached this stage of the competition in the previous 22 seasons.
- Millwall will look to reach the FA Cup fifth round for the first time since 2018/19. However, they have lost their last six ties against sides from the same division or higher than themselves.
- Leeds United will play consecutive home games within the same FA Cup campaign for the first time since 2001 when they beat Barnsley 1-0 in the third round before losing to Liverpool in the fourth round.
Player to Watch
Largie Ramazani
While Mateo Joseph and Aaron Connolly were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Largie Ramazani as our Player to Watch for Saturday’s FA Cup game between Leeds United and Millwall.
The 23-year-old has been in and out of the Leeds United starting lineup this season, not even managing 1,000 minutes of game time. However, after scoring in the third-round clash with Harrowgate Town, Ramazani will be eager to deliver the goods in the final third and nail his spot in the offensive unit.
Prediction
Leeds United 2-0 Millwall
Millwall’s improving form suggests Leeds United will not have a straightforward outing, especially considering the Lions won the only meeting this season. However, Daniel Farke’s men have been excellent in the last few weeks, and they will keep the away side at bay.
So, while Millwall will take the game to Leeds United, they might not have enough quality to get past Karl Darlow. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-0 win for Farke and his charges, with Largie Ramazini making his mark again.
