Millwall's Servais suffers new injury before Preston clash

Millwall manager Alex Neil has confirmed a fresh injury concern for midfielder Mathis Servais ahead of his side's Championship visit to Deepdale to face Preston North End, a side they have scored 5 goals against in their last 180 minutes of football.

Preston North End's next opponents Millwall have been dealt a fresh injury blow ahead of Saturday's Championship fixture at Deepdale. Millwall manager Alex Neil confirmed that summer signing Mathis Servais has picked up a new problem, casting doubt on his availability for the trip to face Graham Alexander's side.

Neil told reporters that the issue occurred over the recent international break. "Unfortunately, it looks like Mathis Servais might have a bit of an issue," the Millwall boss said. He added, "We don’t know the extent of it at the moment, but that’s something we need to look into a little bit further."

Servais’ frustrating start

The 21-year-old midfielder, who joined from Belgian side KV Mechelen for a fee around £3 million, has endured a stop-start beginning to his Millwall career. He missed the opening month of the season with a hamstring injury sustained in pre-season, only making his debut as a substitute in the 2-2 draw with West Ham United on September 19.

This latest setback is another complication for Neil as he manages a lengthy injury list. While players like Luke Cundle and Alfie Doughty have recently returned to the squad, Neil noted they are not yet at full match fitness. Longer-term absentees include Josh Coburn, Mihailo Ivanovic, and Casper De Norre.

"They’re not fully up to match speed, so we’ve got some players back, but they’re still lacking in minutes," Neil explained. "We’ve still got some long-term guys who are obviously still unavailable."

For Preston, who sit 23rd in the Championship with four points from eight games, the visit of Millwall represents a key opportunity to improve a poor recent run. Preston have lost their last three matches, conceding 8 goals in that period. Millwall currently occupy 11th place in the table with 11 points, and their recent form shows a team capable of scoring, having found the net 5 times in their last two outings. The head-to-head record also favours the visitors, with Millwall scoring 5 goals across their last two meetings with Preston, a total of 180 minutes of football.

The extent of Servais' injury will be assessed by Millwall's medical staff this week, with a decision on his involvement at Deepdale to follow. Preston's full fixtures schedule shows the match is set for Saturday.