Millwall looking for goals ahead of Preston North End clash but Gary Rowett isn't worried

The London side have not scored in their last three games, a plight that PNE can understand, but it is not all doom and gloom for Gary Rowett’s side as they have drawn two and lost one of their last three.

To flip their current concerns, Millwall may not have scored in their last three games but they have kept back to back clean sheets, so Saturday’s game could be decided by the smallest of margins. That double of blanks has changed the outlook on Millwall’s defence too, now having five clean sheets from their first 19 games.

Their manager is also looking at the positives, focusing away from the lack of goals and instead on the results they have picked up. The goals have only dried up in the previous three games, prior to that they had nine goals in four games as they remarkably secured 12 points out of 12.

Last time out, Millwall were unable to find the breakthrough against Hull City, who has to spend more than half the game with 10 men.

Speaking after the game against Hull, Rowett said: “Having someone like Benik Afobe (injured until after the World Cup) available in a game like today would’ve been a massive plus for us in those tight spaces.

“We’re all probably a little bit disappointed in the dressing room, but we’re sat there having won four games, drawn three and lost one in the last eight.

“It’s the Championship, you’ve got to find different ways to win games. Against West Brom here recently we found a different way to win the game in the last minute, more or less. Today we couldn’t find that.

“We’ve got to work harder and we’ve got to improve our ability to do that because there’s going to be other games this season where we need to break teams down.

“We’re frustrated but I don’t necessarily think that the three games without goals is a problem. We’re not one of the lowest-scoring teams in the division, it’s another clean sheet – which we should get – and you’re just hoping that one of those players just finds that little bit of extra quality.

“Hull are in 21st position, I think, and they’ve got someone like Jean Michael Seri, who no doubt will be on twice as much as any of our players. You’re playing against teams with good quality and we’ve got to work so, so hard to win those games of football. We’ll keep trying to do that.”

Millwall will likely come to Deepdale full of confidence after recent years. Their record against PNE is very good, having lost just twice in the last 12 years, both games coming in the same season. The Lions have won four and drawn the last two of six, most recently drawing 1-1 in April.

A win for Rowett’s men would see them draw level on points with PNE and overtake them in the standings on goal difference, although a win for North End could see them go into the World Cup break in the play-off places.