Match Preview: Sunderland v Millwall - all you need to know ahead of kick-off!

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Saturday 3rd December 2022

(15th) Sunderland v Millwall (6th)

Championship

Stadium of Light

Kick-Off: 12:30

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Tickets & Match Coverage

Tickets: Tickets are available via www.safc.com.

TV/Stream: Full live match coverage available via Sky Sports.

Radio: Full live match commentary available via BBC Radio Newcastle (not online)

Don’t forget to follow the blow-by-blow account of the game on the Roker Report Twitter feed (@RokerReport) and check out the player ratings after the full-time whistle at www.RokerReport.com!

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The build-up...

We’re back! Has it felt longer than three weeks or not quite as long as that? I can’t decide.

Either way it is good to return to action in the Championship especially as our last game before the break was a more than encouraging 2-1 victory at Birmingham City. Having said that, the pressure is on to improve our home form with our last seven points coming on the road.

We currently boast the third worst home record in the division with one win in the last five at the Stadium of Light, and that victory was now seven weeks ago. Surprisingly for our attacking intent, only three sides have scored fewer goals this season than the Lads on home soil.

This is a game in hand over most of the division for both clubs, due to this being the rearranged fixture that was originally postponed due to the Queen passing away back in September, so this does present a chance for Mowbray’s side to move within just one point off the top six.

Photo by Mark Fletcher/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Millwall have enjoyed life back in the Championship since promotion back in 2017 under Neil Harris, only finishing in the bottom half of the table once in their five years in the second tier.

Since Gary Rowett took charge back in October 2019 they have flirted with the play-offs, finishing 8th, 11th and 9th, with the current target to go one better this season.

The summer recruits boasted names such as Benik Afobe and Zian Flemming who joined for a club record fee of £1.7 million but has been the star of this Millwall side so far this season. Also in their ranks is former Sunderland captain George Honeyman, who joined from Hull City in the summer.

Sunderland might boast the third worst home record, but Millwall travel north with only Huddersfield Town having a worse away record so far this season. Considering they currently occupy a top six position tells you how strong they have been on home soil with only 9 of their 31 points collected on their travels.

Photo by Danny Lawson/PA Images via Getty Images

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The betting...

The bookies have the Lads as slight favourites at 8/5 for the win, with Millwall priced at 19/10 to pick up all three points and the draw is 9/4.

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Head to head... at Sunderland

(All competitions)

• Sunderland wins: 10
• Draws: 5
• Millwall wins: 3
• Sunderland goals: 39
• Millwall goals: 17

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Last time we met... at the Stadium of Light

Saturday 18th November 2017

Sky Bet Championship

Sunderland 2 - 2 Millwall

[Grabban 12’, Matthews 46’ - Saville 16’, 20’]

Sunderland: Ruiter, Matthews, O’Shea, Wilson (Browning), Oviedo, Watmore (McManaman), Cattermole, McNair, McGeady, Williams (Honeyman), Grabban Substitutes not used: Steele, Rodwell, Gibson, Vaughan

Millwall: Archer, McLaughlin, Meredith, Tunnicliffe, Hutchinson, Cooper, O’Brien (Thompson), Saville, Gregory (Onyedinma), Elliott (Morison) Substitutes not used: King, Craig, Romeo, Twardek

Attendance: 27,399

Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images

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Played for both...

Alex Rae

The Glasgow-born midfielder began his career at Falkirk where he spent three years making a name for himself in Scotland before a £100,000 move to Millwall came in 1990.

Rae spent six years at Millwall making well over 200 appearances before coming Sunderland’s first ever £1 million signing in the summer of 1996 as we began life as a Premier League club for the first time.

After five years on Wearside, Rae moved to Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2001 which was followed by spells at Rangers and Dundee and is now Paul Ince’s assistant at Reading.

Photo by Neal Simpson/EMPICS via Getty Images

Anton Rogan

The Belfast-born defender began his career at Celtic in the late 1980’s and following well over a century of appearances made the move south when Denis Smith splashed out some of the money received from the sale of Marco Gabbiadini in 1991.

After two years at Roker, Rogan moved on to Oxford United where he spent two years also, a feat he repeated at Millwall and Blackpool before retiring in 1999.

Getty Images

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