'I don't want to say': Millwall boss to keep Portsmouth guessing over availability of influential duo - including highly-rated striker who scored 3 v Blues last term
Alex Neil is yet to decide whether both Mihailo Ivanovic and Femi Azeez will feature for Millwall against Pompey on Saturday
Millwall will leave it late before deciding whether two of their key players will play any part in their game against Pompey on Saturday.
Highly-rated striker Mihailo Ivanovic - who scored three times against the Blues last season - and top-scorer Femi Azeez are both considered doubts for the Lions’ Championship trip to Fratton Park.
Ivanovic was withdrawn from the latest Serbia international squad after he picked up a couple of knocks (knee and ankle) in Millwall’s last league game against Preston North End on November 8. The 20-year-old bagged 12 Championship goals last season and played a key role in each of Millwall’s league victories over John Mousinho’s men in 2024-25.
Azeez, meanwhile, hasn’t played since he suffered a hamstring injury against Oxford United on November 1. However, the forward has returned to training and is at least being considered by boss Alex Neil for the game against Pompey.
Sixth-placed Millwall also continue to monitor the availability of Steven Benda (groin) and Alfie Doughty (ankle) ahead of their trip to the south coast, while Dan McNamara is in contention to make his first appearance of the campaign after suffering a serious knee injury back in January.
But it’s the circumstances of both Ivanovic and Azeez that will keep Pompey guessing the most in the build up to an important game for the hosts.
Alex Neil on Mihailo Ivanovic and Femi Azeez
Sharing his thoughts on Ivanovic, Neil told southwarknews.co.uk: ‘Mihailo went down (against PNE) and sort of looked as if he twisted his knee. He got another kick on his ankle as well. So there were a couple of little bits and bobs for him that, unfortunately, they haven’t done as much training as we would’ve liked.
‘We’ll see how the rest of the week pans out. We’re expecting him to train today (Tuesday), so we’ll see how he looks today. But I don’t want to say yeah and then he’s not available. Or vice versa.’
In terms of Azeez, Neil said: ‘Femi’s been on the grass, again. Question mark as to whether Saturday might be too soon for him, but again, he’s not far away.
‘He part-trained yesterday (Monday). So he’s on the grass with the team. He’s doing a lot of his stuff. He’s just got certain markers he needs to tick off to make sure he’s available.’
Millwall also have doubts about Danny Kelly. But Billy Mitchell, Ryan Leonard, Josh Coburn, Massimo Luongo and Lukas Jensen all continue to receive treatment for their respective injuries.
Jake Cooper is suspended after he picked up his fifth booking of the season against Preston North End.
Pompey v Millwall - a key game of the hosts
Pompey go into the Millwall game with their own selection concerns. Indeed, nine players sat out their last fixture against Hull City because of injury, with John Swift absence through illness.
The former West Brom midfielder is expected to be back for the visit of the Lions, while the game has long been pencilled in for the returns of Nicolas Schmid, Callum Lang, Adrian Segecic, Harvey Blair and Franco Umeh following their resepctive injures.
Their potential return will provide the Blues with a welcome boost. Mousinho’s side are currently four points and two places above the relegation zone after just one win in 11 Championship games.