'I know Sunderland are top' - Millwall boss sends strong promotion message to Leeds United as 'X-factor' addressed
Leeds United head south with a growing reputation as the cream of the Championship.
Neil Harris is in no doubt he is welcoming the Championship’s best team to Millwall on Wednesday.
Leeds United will make the long journey south having lost just once all season, with Daniel Farke’s side bouncing back from that 1-0 defeat against Burnley to win five of an eight-game unbeaten run. Their most recent win, a walking-pace 3-0 triumph at home to Plymouth on Saturday, pulled the Whites into second and results elsewhere allowed them to stay there.
Sunderland lead the way and boast a three-point cushion, while Sheffield United and Burnley are not far behind - the latter losing 1-0 at Millwall on Saturday. But Harris insists one of the leading pack stands above the rest in terms of quality and that is Wednesday’s opponents.
“Leeds are the best team I’ve watched this season,” Harris told the South London Press. “I know Sunderland are at the top of the league but Leeds have just got that X-factor and strength in depth in their squad to stay there all season. Leeds are certainly the best football team – possession-based – in the league.
“Sheffield United are just so Championship-ready and experienced in the way they play, along with the experience that Chrissy Wilder has got. They are the two teams (top of the pile). Sunderland and Burnley will be there or thereabouts. Leeds are right up there for a reason.
“They are the only team to get more points than us since mid-February in the Championship. They have got the right to be there. We know how difficult a game it is and the magnitude of it. But we are a team that is only two points behind them since February – so they will know the challenge that also faces them coming to The Den.”
Three first-team players featured for Millwall’s Under-21s on Monday, with striker Tom Bradshaw, midfielder Billy Mitchell and winger Adam Mayor all playing at least 45 minutes of a 2-1 defeat against Brentford. Welsh international Bradshaw has been out since August with a hamstring injury while the other pair haven’t featured this season.
None of the aforementioned trio will be rushed into action with all three expected to miss out on Wednesday. Harris suggested Bradshaw was closest to returning but pencilled in their weekend trip to Stoke City as a possible return.
“We’re not ruling Tom out of Stoke at the moment,” the Lions boss added. “Just because of his experience, knowing his body and how he plays the game. If Tom was going to be involved going towards the Stoke fixture we would need to manage him in the correct manner.”