Running out of time to escape the bottom three of the Championship table, Barnsley will travel to Millwall on Saturday desperate for three points.

The Tykes now find themselves eight points adrift of safety with only seven games left to play, albeit with a game in hand over 21st-placed Reading, while the hosts have only recently dropped out of contention in the playoff race.

Match preview

Millwall have enjoyed another commendable campaign in the Championship, and, with 57 points from 37 outings, they looked set to push towards the playoff places in a tight top half of the division.

That has not materialised for Gary Rowett's men, though, as they have now failed to win any of their last three games, firstly losing 2-0 away at Stoke City.

After being held to a 2-2 draw away at Luton Town, with a Jake Cooper own goal levelling the scoring in the dying minutes after Tom Bradshaw and Benik Afobe had put them ahead on two separate occasions, the Lions took on Swansea City last time out and fell to another defeat.

Joel Piroe's goal straight after the break was the only difference between the sides, seeing Rowett's men remain 10th.

Having failed to leapfrog out-of-sorts Blackburn Rovers and Queens Park Rangers teams, and with the gap between themselves and the playoffs now six points with six games to go, the Lions will likely have to settle with battling for a high mid-table finish this term, and they will aim to correct their form against the relegation-threatened side on Saturday.

The Tykes had to battle through a dismal start to the campaign, finding themselves cut adrift at the foot of the Championship with just two wins and 14 points from their opening 29 league outings.

However, Poya Asbaghi's side have since shown resilience, more than doubling their points tally in the last 10 matches, earning four wins and three draws to remain in the fight, and, at one stage, move within reach of safety before 21st-placed Reading retaliated with victories of their own.

They then met Reading in a true six-pointer last time out but were unable to secure the vital three points as Josh Laurent drew the Royals level in the final 10 minutes at Oakwell after Carlton Morris's early opener.

As a result, the Tykes find themselves eight points adrift of safety, although they do have a game in hand on Reading, meaning their slim survival hopes are now relying on being able to put together a winning run in the final straight of the campaign and hoping the Royals slip up along the way.

Team News

Millwall will remain without attacker Mason Bennett and centre-back Shaun Hutchinson, leaving Jake Cooper to lead the back three alongside Daniel Ballard and Murray Wallace.

However, Oliver Burke and Ryan Leonard have both recently returned to the squad after long layoffs and will be vying for starting berths.

Jed Wallace continues to be the star man going forward, with six goals and 10 assists to his name in the league this season, and he could again play off the likes of Benik Afobe.

Barnsley remain without striker Cauley Woodrow due to a long-term injury, while the fitness of key centre-back Michal Helik is unclear after he missed out on the Reading clash.

Carlton Morris will spearhead the attack, having led the line commendably since their improvement, taking his tally to seven league goals for the season in 22 appearances.

Since a loan move from Watford in January, Domingos Quina has been another star man in this Tykes team, and he will keep his place on the left wing.

Millwall possible starting lineup:
Bialkowski; Ballard, Cooper, M Wallace; McNamara, Mitchell, Saville, Malone; J Wallace; Bradshaw, Afobe

Barnsley possible starting lineup:
Collins; Brittain, Andersen, Kitching, Vita; Gomes, Wolfe; Styles, Bassi, Quina; Morris

We say: Millwall 1-1 Barnsley

We see Barnsley coming out firing as they desperately look to keep their survival hopes alive, and they should cause the hosts plenty of issues.

The Den is never an easy place to visit, though, and we expect the Lions to have enough to, at least, force a share of the spoils against a team with arguably more to play for.

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