Millwall head coach Neil Harris found himself in an unexpected situation as he had to shift his focus to preparing for the upcoming Championship fixture against Oxford United after their game against Portsmouth was postponed due to a power failure. The match was called off 55 minutes after it was supposed to start, with the floodlights going out just before kick-off. Despite some power being restored, there were still concerns about crowd safety and the ability of Millwall fans to catch trains back to London.
Both sets of players engaged in training sessions on the pitch after the decision was made to postpone the game, with Harris expressing his gratitude to Portsmouth for allowing them to do so. He mentioned that he can now concentrate on preparing for the Oxford United game without having to watch the postponed match back.
The unexpected break also gives Harris the opportunity to assess the fitness of key players like Duncan Watmore and Shaun Hutchinson, who missed the Portsmouth game. The team will have to wait and see if they will be available for the weekend match.
In terms of team news, Harris made three changes for the postponed game, bringing in Femi Azeez, Murray Wallace, and Tom Bradshaw. Young midfielder Billy Mitchell, who has been sidelined with a quad injury for the entire season, was named on the bench.
Millwall currently sits ninth in the Championship table and is on an unbeaten run of eight league games. Their opponents, Oxford United, have struggled in recent matches, losing their last three games. Despite a 3-0 defeat to Sheffield United in their most recent outing, Oxford did manage to secure a 1-0 win over Hull City earlier in the month.
The two teams have a history of competitive encounters, with Millwall emerging victorious in their last league match at Oxford back in the 2016-17 season. However, Oxford got the better of Millwall in the EFL Cup in August 2019, winning on penalties after a 2-2 draw.
As both teams look to bounce back from recent setbacks, the upcoming fixture promises to be an exciting and closely contested battle between two competitive sides in the Championship.
