Luton Town v Millwall: 12/1 Tanganga tipped to find the back of the net | OneFootball

EFL Championship

Ryan Deeney previews Luton Town v Millwall

Ryan Deeney has the pick of the bets for Luton Town v Millwall as they clash at Kenilworth Road in Saturday's early EFL Championship fixture

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Luton Town v MillwallSaturday 25th January, 12:30Live on Sky Sports

Too early for a six-pointer?

Luton Town enter the weekend knowing victory would likely see them exit the relegation zone and cut the gap to Millwall, six places above them at the time of writing, to two points.

The Hatters have previous against this weekend's opponents, coming into this one six unbeaten against Millwall while also having won five of their last six meetings at Kenilworth Road.

Extending that run would do wonders for Matt Bloomfield as he looks for his first win since swapping Buckinghamshire and potential League One glory for Bedfordshire and Championship football.

History suggests it could be on cards with Alex Neil yet to win at the Kenny in management but the Scotsman is similarly new to his role and looking for a first win - seeing off Luton would do wonders for Millwall's chances of avoiding the drop.

Youth, transitions and set-pieces

It's a tough task Alex Neil is taking on.

Millwall is a unique football club to manage and taking the job on from Neil Harris, a club legend who saved them from relegation last term, will be no easy feat.

His attempts to improve the Lions' fortunes has begun with an improvement in front of goal - their 2-2 draw with Sheffield Wednesday was the first time they had scored more than one goal since the end of September.

An improvement in their transitional play has helped, along with adding some much-needed youth to the second oldest side in the division based on average of minutes played.

Yet set-pieces remain a key part of the Millwall experience. Millwall have scored from ten this term and in Japhet Tanganga, they possess one of the most prolific attackers of a ball in the division.

The ex-Spurs man has had 33 shots in the league this season, 23 of which have come within the width of the six-yard box within 15 yards of goal, including five of his eight efforts since the arrival of Neil with two just outside of that region. He's a threat.

Hatters hoping Matt's magic blooms soon

That doesn't bode well for Luton Town, who have already conceded 12 goals from set-piece situations this season.

Matt Bloomfield has proven himself a good manager but he's not a magician and Tuesday night's defeat at Oxford United showcased how much work he needs to do - they conceded from a cross and two set-pieces with both centre-backs on the scoresheet.

The problem for Bloomfield is that he's arrived at a point where his defensive options are limited owing to injury and he has had little time on the training field to get things right.

Recommended bets

Back Japhet Tanganga to score anytime @ 8/1

Prices quoted in copy are correct at time of publication but liable to change.