Millwall will enjoy their underdog status when Crystal Palace come to The Den on January 8
Gary Rowett reckons Millwall will relish being the underdogs when they face Crystal Palace in the FA Cup third round next month.
The South London derby match in SE16 has been selected for live TV coverage – it will be a 12:45pm kick off January 8 and will be shown on ITV1.
It will be the first meeting of the two clubs since a 0-0 draw at The Den in April 2013, with the Eagles going on to win promotion to the Premier League.
Palace could have a number of first-teamers away at the Africa Cup of Nations although it is unclear whether Wilfried Zaha, pictured right, will make himself available for the Ivory Coast.
Eberechi Eze, who was released by the Lions as a youngster, has recently made his first-team return for the Premier League outfit after a lengthy spell out after rupturing his achilles tendon.
Millwall’s last derby fixture with fans in attendance was the 2-1 home victory over Charlton in November 2019, Matt Smith heading a late winner.
The reverse fixture in July 2020 was played behind closed doors due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
“Of course we’ll be underdogs but that won’t worry us at all,” said Rowett.
“We’ll be going into the game trying to win it. We are at home and there’s a responsibility on us to get on the front foot and try to put Palace under a little bit of pressure. But, at the same time, they are a good side and will be able to play through that pressure.
“We’ll think about some of the details when we get a little nearer to the match. Being the underdog probably suits us as a club. Hopefully that will underline the importance of the fans getting behind us and for them to provide that atmosphere we know they can.”
Millwall have taken out a number of top-flight sides in recent history in the competition. They were a League One club in the 2016-17 season but famously claimed a trio of Premier League scalps on home turf – reigning champions Leicester City, Bournemouth and Watford – before losing heavily in the last eight at Tottenham.
Everton were dumped out in the 2018-19 campaign and Millwall were seconds from securing a Wembley semi-final against Manchester City until Brighton’s Solly March levelled in the fifth minute of stoppage time. Albion went on to squeak through 5-4 on penalties.
“I’m sure this match will capture a lot of peoples’ imagination,” said Rowett. “Because it is a one-off game, nothing to do with league positions, it means form is kind of irrelevant.
“I’m really keen to sample that cup atmosphere. I can imagine it is a brilliant day and a charged atmosphere – but it’s only a brilliant day if you win the game. Not if you turn up and get beaten.”
