Sky Sports pundit and former Arsenal legend Paul Merson desires to see Millwall as the newcomers in the Premier League next season.
With mere days remaining in mid-February, the FA Cup effect now comes into play in shaping the promotion battle. As Wrexham and Ipswich are the only sides to advance to the 4th round knockout from the Top-6, the matchday 32 action comes a bit late for the duo.
On one side, it gives Wrexham a mid-season breather to recalibrate their promotion push. However, a postponed matchday means a dip in their standing while other playoff aspirants jump up the table with their results.
Factor in the announcement of Watford boss, Edward Still, and these developments can significantly influence Wrexham’s promotion prospects. If that wasn’t enough pressure building, pundit Paul Merson’s recent Championship prediction comes to spoil Wrexham’s mood.
While sitting with the Sky Sports panel, Merson has given his preference to Millwall as his promotion favourite. The former Arsenal legend sounded lyrical on the Lions, saying: “I’ve looked at their fixtures, and I would like to see Millwall go up. I’ve got fond memories of playing there myself for Portsmouth. I’ve always followed their scores since that day when I played there.”
Additionally, Merson gave Millwall his vote of confidence for the manageable fixtures they have. Paul Merson added, “They’ve got some nice fixtures. If it was the Premier League, you’d say ‘they’ve got good fixtures’, but because it’s the Championship, everybody beats each other.”
Paul Merson vouches for Millwall’s promotion
Millwall has been pursuing the Premier League dream more than anyone else among the top-6 clubs(excluding Wrexham). The second closest comes Coventry, who still featured in the Top Flight in the 2000/01 campaign, unlike the Lions’ last stint in 1989/90.
While this empathy factor is a reason, Paul Merson’s support for Millwall primarily stems from his career-best memory at the Den. Though the stadium is a nightmare for most rivals, Merson’s best game came here.
Notably, Merson never ended on the losing side against Millwall in his 10 meetings with the Lions. While that’s itself praiseworthy, the Den would never forget the attacker’s mavericks against them in a 5-0 humiliation.
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In the 2002/03 campaign, Paul Merson lined up for Portsmouth in the away contest against Millwall in the second tier. Though the Pompeys’ strong form hailed them as the favourites, Merson’s standout show turned it into a cakewalk victory.
Operating as an attacking midfielder, Paul Merson produced magic with every touch. While excelling in creating chances and giving his best on each opportunity, Merson scored the 5-0 goal for Portsmouth to finish Millwall’s thrashing.
It was an impeccable performance from the former Arsenal legend that made him receive a standing ovation at the Den. With this experience going down as the best of his career, Merson wishes to see the exciting Millwall side in the Premier League next season.
Millwall’s fixtures give them an upper hand for promotion
Just last weekend, Millwall stretched the gap between them and 6th-placed Wrexham to 6 points with a win. Effectively, that also brought them just a point behind 3rd and 4th-placed sides, Ipswich Town and Hull City.
One of the only metrics where Millwall can improve to bolster their promotion charge is their goal difference. To their aid, they have enough opportunities lined up for the purpose in the remaining games.
Among all the promotion enthusiasts, Millwall have arguably the most winnable set of games left. Except for their clashes against Hull City, Ipswich and Middlesbrough, the Lions will hope to accumulate maximum points from the remaining fixtures.
On the other hand, Wrexham’s path is just as challenging as it could be. Fresh from a Millwall defeat, the Reds have a rematch left with all of the top-4 sides. That’s not forgetting how they are scheduled to see off the regular season with their last games against Boro and Coventry.
Up next, Wrexham’s next league game against Bristol is a promotion 6-pointer matchday again. After that, the Reds hardly catch their breath as they face Ipswich in the Championship days later.
Though the “Never Say Never” saying has been Wrexham’s identity, an automatic promotion is out of the club’s scope this season. If Millwall secures the PL birth through the playoffs, the Reds’ dream gets delayed for the next season.
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