Alex Neil reveals potential Millwall blow ahead of Birmingham City - Chris Davies may love this | OneFootball

Alex Neil's Millwall injury bulletin may be music to the ears of Birmingham City ahead of tomorrow evening's affair

Birmingham City will be intent on continuing the momentum and turning a tide following Saturday's 4-0 demolition of lowly Portsmouth at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park, which could mark something of a watershed moment after what has proved a mixed return to the Championship despite significant expectation and spending for the Second City outfit.

Blues undertook yet another summer of lavish spending in the transfer market after winning last season's League One title at a canter, with both the internal and external expectations involving a second successive promotion charge amid ambitious owners Knighthead having their sights firmly set upon returning to the Premier League.

Prior to the visit of Portsmouth to the Second City, Birmingham had only won two of their previous nine matches, which included a heavy defeat to West Midlands rivals Coventry City and a frustrating 2-2 draw at home against crisis club Sheffield Wednesday.

Reports elsewhere have suggested pressure is growing on head coach Chris Davies, who has come under scrutiny from supporters for the first time this season, but Bluenoses are now looking up once more after goals from Seung-Ho Paik, Tomoki Iwata, Christoph Klarer and Keshi Anderson ensured the club's most emphatic victory of the campaign in a rampant home display.

Birmingham remain merely four points shy of a top-six spot despite enduring such inconsistent opening months, and will need to use the confidence from Saturday's rout of Portsmouth to spur them up the table in the coming weeks.

Next up is a home clash against fourth-placed Millwall tomorrow evening, and while the Lions are not to be underestimated after winning seven of their opening 13 matches to lodge yet another bid for a play-off finish, a recent injury blow in Alex Neil's camp may just inspire further confidence back in B9.

Alex Neil drops Femi Azeez injury update at Millwall ahead of Birmingham City

Millwall will make the trip to the Midlands off the back of a 2-2 draw away at Gary Rowett's Oxford United on Saturday, in which they twice took the lead but were ultimately forced to settle for a point and saw a prior four-match winning run curtailed when ex-Blues loan man Przemyslaw Placheta restored parity in the sixth minute of additional time.

A significant talking point from Millwall's trip to the Kassam Stadium, however, was a first-half injury to star winger Femi Azeez, who was hauled off for Camiel Neghli after 36 minutes.

Azeez has been in inspired form for the play-off hopefuls this season, but may now find himself spending a spell on the sidelines after sustaining a hamstring injury.

The severity of that injury remains unclear, though Azeez will be joined on the treatment table by experienced right-back Ryan Leonard, who appears to have suffered a setback with his calf, and Lions boss Neil has admitted that his side will find it "difficult to win games" in their absences.

Speaking ahead of the trip to Birmingham, Neil explained: "The severity of the injuries, I’m not quite sure. I don’t know.

"Femi’s seems to be a hamstring. Lenny [Leonard] seems to be a calf.

"We’ve battled this all season, haven’t we? In terms of losing bodies and having to then try and find a way to win the next one. It’s really disappointing because Femi’s been brilliant for us. Lenny’s been excellent for us as well.

"So if they are out for any length of time, yeah, it naturally makes it difficult to win games because if they’re fit and available, they play in the team. The more first-team regulars that you lose, the more difficult it is at this level.

"Our record at the moment has been very, very good. We just want to try and give ourselves the best chance at picking up as many points as we can."

Femi Azeez injury blow for Millwall could be major Birmingham City, Chris Davies boost

Losing a player of Leonard's experience and dependability is sure to represent a blow for Millwall, but they will be particularly concerned about Azeez and his situation.

Birmingham, however, will love that he could just come as a doubt for tomorrow's showdown.

Signed from League One Reading in the summer of 2024, Azeez enjoyed a steady if unspectacular debut campaign at The Den but has burst out of the traps to emerge as one of the Championship's most exciting and impactful wide players in the 2025/26 season.

Before the Oxford match, Azeez had found the back of the net in each of Millwall's four successive victories and has stepped up as his side's chief attacking force amid a current goal drought for hotshot Serbian striker Mihailo Ivanovic.

Blues will have to remain cautious of tricky ex-Chelsea prospect Thierno Ballo on the other flank, and, should Azeez be absent tomorrow evening, he will likely be replaced by no slouch in the aforementioned Neghli, but the prospect of not having to face off against such a direct and dynamic goalscoring threat in the in-form 24-year-old may just hand Davies' Birmingham a considerable boost.