Millwall v Swansea City: Swans Aim to Extend Winning Run at The Den

The festive period can make or break a season and Swansea City have treated it like an opportunity rather than an obligation. Three wins from four in the space of a fortnight is not the return of a side simply finding form. It is the return of a side beginning to believe in its own potential. Even the one blemish, the narrow defeat at Coventry, felt like a missed chance rather than a setback. Swansea played with purpose, control and a confidence that has grown with every passing game under Vitor Matos. You can sense the shift. The players look freer, the football has more clarity and the supporters have started to travel with that familiar feeling that something is building.

Millwall cannot say the same. Their recent run has been patchy at best and the energy around The Den has been noticeably flatter. They remain a difficult side to break down on their own patch but the sharpness and edge that usually defines them has been missing. For Swansea, that opens a door. A win here would not only close the gap between the clubs but underline the momentum that has quietly gathered pace over the last two weeks.

This is also the final league outing before the FA Cup takes centre stage next weekend. It is not a break in the traditional sense but it does create a natural pause in the Championship grind. Going into that two week gap with another three points would reinforce the belief that Swansea are moving in the right direction and doing so with conviction. It feels like the perfect moment to make a statement.

Team News

Millwall are carrying a heavy injury list and that has shaped their recent selections. They remain without Lukas Jensen, Casper De Norre, Luke Cundle, Massimo Luongo, Derek Mazou‑Sacko, Will Smallbone, Daniel Kelly and Josh Coburn. The only player with a realistic chance of returning is Mihailo Ivanovic, who missed their draw at Southampton with a knock but is being assessed ahead of this fixture. Beyond that, Alex Neil is working with what he has, which has been a theme of their winter.

For Swansea, the picture is clearer but not ideal. Adam Idah is facing a long spell out after suffering an injury in training before the Coventry match. Josh Key and Ronald both came off during the win over West Brom and will need to be checked. Liam Cullen has also been absent for the last couple of games and remains a doubt. It leaves Vitor Matos with decisions to make but nothing that disrupts the growing rhythm of the side.

Millwall So Far

Millwall’s season has been a strange mix of resilience and inconsistency. On paper they sit in a respectable position, but the rhythm of their campaign has never truly settled. Their overall points return is solid enough, averaging around a point and a half per game, yet the trend has been drifting in the wrong direction. Over their last eight league matches their points per game has dipped to 1.38, a noticeable drop from their season average. It reflects a side that has struggled to maintain momentum and has been prone to late concessions and lapses in concentration.

Their recent run tells the story even more clearly. Millwall are winless in their last three league games, losing to Blackburn and Hull before grinding out a goalless draw with Ipswich. Before that they edged past Bristol City and held Southampton, but nothing about their form suggests a team in full flow. They have scored only four goals in their last six league matches and have conceded seven, leaving them with just one win in that period. The defensive solidity they usually rely on at The Den has been patchy, and their attacking output has been inconsistent, often relying on moments rather than sustained pressure.

Their home form across the season is better than their away form, but even that has dipped recently. The energy that usually defines Millwall at home has been missing, and the crowd has felt it. This is not the snarling, relentless Millwall of old. It is a side searching for rhythm at a time when Swansea are beginning to find theirs.

The Referee

The referee for this one is John Busby, a familiar figure to Swansea supporters and someone who has taken charge of plenty of Championship fixtures since stepping up to Select Group 2 in 2021. This will be the fifteenth time he has overseen a Swansea match, which tells you everything about his experience at this level and the trust placed in him for games that often carry a bit of edge. He has already refereed two Swansea fixtures this season, the defeats to Birmingham City and Queens Park Rangers, and both were handled with a steady hand even if the results did not fall our way.

Busby’s background is interesting because he began his career as an assistant referee, spending eight years running the line in the EFL before switching to the whistle. That grounding tends to show in his positioning and his awareness of off‑the‑ball movement. He reads the game well and rarely gets caught behind play, which is important in a fixture like this where transitions can be sharp and the crowd can influence the tempo.

His assistants at The Den will be Mark Russell and Jacob Graham, both experienced operators who have worked regularly at Championship level. Their consistency on the line will matter in a stadium where tight calls are often met with loud reactions. The fourth official is Edward Duckworth, another steady presence who will manage the technical areas and keep control of the touchline exchanges.

Millwall’s home atmosphere can test officials, especially early on, but Busby has handled similar environments before. Swansea will hope for a game that flows, and Busby’s style usually allows that when both teams are willing to play.

Match Prediction

This feels like a game that will hinge on control. Swansea have started to manage matches with a maturity that was missing earlier in the season, and that shift has been the foundation of their recent run. The ball is moving quicker, the press is more coordinated and there is a growing belief that they can impose their style away from home. Millwall, by contrast, look like a side trying to rediscover their identity. They remain competitive and physical, but the sharpness in both boxes has faded and their confidence has dipped with it.

The Den is never an easy place to go, but this is as good a moment as any to catch Millwall. Swansea’s midfield has been the difference-maker in recent weeks, and if they can dictate the tempo early, the game should tilt in their favour. The key will be taking advantage of the moments that come, because Millwall will not offer many clear chances even when they are out of form.

Swansea look the more complete side right now and their momentum feels genuine rather than fleeting. If they play with the same clarity and purpose they have shown over the festive period, they should have enough to come away with something meaningful.

Prediction: Millwall 1 Swansea City 2

Backing the Swans

There is something special about following Swansea City away from home, especially at this time of year. The Christmas period has a way of thinning out the casual traveller, leaving behind the supporters who live for these trips, who build their holidays around the fixture list and who see an away day as the perfect way to close out the festive fortnight. Millwall away is never a gentle outing, but that has never stopped Swansea fans from turning up in numbers and making themselves heard. This one will be no different. The allocation will be snapped up, the trains and coaches will be full, and the noise will carry long before kick‑off.

What makes this trip feel different is the sense that the team is finally giving the supporters something to believe in again. Since Vitor Matos settled into the job, the away form has taken a noticeable step forward. Performances have been sharper, more controlled and more confident. Even in the tougher moments, Swansea have looked like a side that understands what it wants to be. That clarity has been missing for too long, and you can feel the connection returning because of it. Supporters are travelling with expectation rather than hope, and that shift matters.

The win at West Brom was the clearest sign yet that Swansea can go to difficult grounds and impose themselves. It was not a smash‑and‑grab or a backs‑to‑the‑wall job. It was a performance built on structure, bravery and belief. Those are the traits that travel well, and they are the traits that make this trip to The Den feel like another opportunity rather than a threat.

If Swansea can pick up a second straight league win on the road, and a third in all competitions, it would underline the progress being made and send the away end home with the feeling that the season is turning. The supporters have done their part all year, even when the football has not always rewarded them. Now the team is beginning to match that commitment. Millwall away is the perfect stage to show it again.

This article first appeared on JACKARMY.net.