Millwall v Sheffield United: play-off push meets bottom-half revival | OneFootball

Millwall host Sheffield United in the Championship on Saturday, 31 January 2026, at The Den, with the hosts defending a play-off place and the visitors aiming to climb away from the lower reaches.

Millwall are fifth on 49 points, while Sheffield United sit 17th with 35. The hosts also won the reverse fixture 1-0 in August.

The Lions come in with three wins from their last four league games, including a 4-0 derby win over Charlton and a 2-0 success at Watford, plus a draw at Southampton. The Blades have three victories in five in the league, most recently beating Ipswich 3-1, either side of narrow away defeats at Charlton and Southampton.

Availability could matter. The Lions list Massimo Luongo, Joe Bryan, Lukas Jensen, William Smallbone, Derek Mazou-Sacko and Daniel Kelly as injured. The Blades are without Patrick Bamford, Japhet Tanganga and Djibril Soumaré through suspension, with Jairo Riedewald, Gustavo Hamer, Jamie Shackleton and Tyler Bindon sidelined.

Expect contrasting approaches. The Lions have delivered 432 open play crosses at 24.31% accuracy and kept 11 clean sheets, and could look to feed Femi Azeez, who has seven league goals, with service from creators Alfie Doughty and Thierno Ballo. The Blades average 51% possession with 77.24% pass accuracy. Callum O'Hare leads their output with eight league goals and five assists, so they may try to control phases but must tighten a defence that has conceded 41.

A win would lift the Lions to 52 points and strengthen their grip on the play-offs. Victory for the Blades would take them to 38 points, offering a chance to climb the table and pull further clear of the relegation places.