Bristol City vs Millwall: Femi Azeez seeks opening day win – preview, team news, tips, h2h

Bristol City welcome Millwall to Ashton Gate on Saturday for the opening fixture of the 2026-27 Championship season, and for the travelling fans, the main question is whether Super Eagles forward Femi Azeez will still be leading the line, Afrik-Foot reports.

The 24-year-old Nigerian international, who made a stunning debut for the Super Eagles with a brace against Zimbabwe in the 2026 Unity Cup, has been the subject of interest from Hull City, Aston Villa and West Ham United throughout the summer.

As of this week, Azeez remains at The Den, and Millwall head coach Alex Neil has confirmed the forward should be available after a brief illness ruled him out of pre-season action against Stevenage in late July.

Bristol City vs Millwall preview: A new chapter at Ashton Gate

The Robins are under new management after a turbulent end to the 2025-26 campaign.

Michael Skubala, 43, was appointed on May 29, arriving fresh from guiding Lincoln City to the League One title with 103 points and 31 league victories.

His appointment followed a chaotic year at Ashton Gate that saw Gerhard Struber dismissed in late March after a six-match winless streak, with Roy Hodgson stepping in as interim boss for the final seven games of the season.

Bristol City eventually finished 12th, a significant drop from their sixth-place finish under Liam Manning in 2024-25, when they reached the play-offs for the first time in 17 years before a 6-0 aggregate semi-final defeat to Sheffield United.

Skubala has wasted no time reshaping the squad, bringing in attacking duo Dom Ballard and Lorent Tolaj from League One, as well as goalkeeper Sam Tickle and Japanese winger Yu Hirakawa.

However, the first competitive outing under his leadership did not go to plan. The Robins lost 1-0 at home to League Two side Walsall in the Carabao Cup first round on August 6, with Aaron Pressley scoring the only goal early in the second half.

Millwall, by contrast, come into this fixture with considerably more continuity. Neil has been in charge since December 2024, and transformed the club from 13th into genuine promotion challengers, finishing third on 83 points, their highest ever tally in the second tier.

The Lions kept 18 clean sheets across the 2025-26 campaign, the best defensive record in the Championship, and posted the division’s best away return of 41 points. Their season ultimately ended in disappointment, however, losing to eventual play-off final winners Hull City in the semi-finals (0-0, 0-2).

In their opening fixture of the new campaign, Millwall beat QPR on penalties in the Carabao Cup after a 1-1 draw at Loftus Road, with goalkeeper Lukas Jensen saving all four opposition spot kicks on his return from a long-term Achilles injury.

Head-to-head record: Bristol City vs Millwall

Millwall have dominated this fixture in recent seasons, winning both meetings during the 2025-26 campaign.

At Ashton Gate in December 2025, Mihailo Ivanovic struck just before the hour mark to seal a 1-0 win after Bristol City goalkeeper Radek Vitek made a double save from Super Eagles forward Azeez, only for the rebound to fall kindly to the Serbian striker. The reverse fixture at The Den on December 29 also went Millwall’s way, 2-1.

Bristol City’s last victory in this fixture came in March 2025, when goals from Zak Vyner and Harry Cornick earned a 2-0 win at The Den under the previous regime. Before that, an extraordinary 4-3 home win for the Robins in August 2024 was the last time they took three points from this fixture at Ashton Gate.

Overall, the clubs have met 28 times in recent seasons across all competitions, with Millwall holding a slight edge at 11 wins to Bristol City’s 10, with seven draws.

The recent trend, though, is telling: three of the last four meetings produced just one goal total per match, with both teams to score landing in only one of those four games.

Team news and predicted lineups: Bristol City vs Millwall

Bristol City’s Skubala has confirmed that Tomi Horvat and Sam Bell were omitted from the Walsall squad for selection reasons rather than injury, meaning both are available for Saturday.

Hirakawa, the Japanese winger who impressed in the Carabao Cup tie, is expected to retain his place on the right after catching the eye with several dangerous deliveries and blocked shots.

Scott Twine, who was Bristol City’s top scorer last season with 10 league goals and six assists in 38 appearances, is the creative fulcrum of this side and should operate in the number 10 role behind the lead striker.

Dom Ballard is expected to lead the line following his summer move from League One, with Lorent Tolaj a strong option from the bench.

Max Bird and Jason Knight should sit as the double pivot in midfield, while Rob Dickie and new signing Lisav Eissat form the centre of a back four, with Cameron Pring and George Tanner at full back.

Bristol City predicted XI (4-2-3-1)

Tickle; Tanner, Eissat, Dickie, Pring; Knight, Bird; Hirakawa, Twine, Wallace; Ballard

For Millwall, the injury news is less straightforward.

Tristan Crama, who was named in the PFA Championship Team of the Season alongside Azeez last term, is sidelined alongside midfielder Derek Mazou-Sacko.

Mihailo Ivanovic, the Serbian striker who scored 22 goals across 87 appearances for the club, also missed pre-season games through injury, with The72 reporting he was among several key players unavailable, along with Mathis Servais.

Jensen is expected to start in goal after his heroics against QPR, while Jenson Metcalfe and Kyrell Lisbie could both make their league debuts.

Super Eagles forward Azeez should start on the right flank if fit, with Josh Coburn leading the line in the likely absence of Ivanovic.

Millwall predicted XI (4-2-3-1)

Jensen; Leonard, Cooper, Taylor, Sturge; Metcalfe, De Norre; Azeez, Cundle, Lisbie; Coburn

Star player showdown

Azeez edges this head-to-head on raw output, with 19 goal contributions last season to Twine’s 16, but the two players operate in very different ways.

Twine is the creative heartbeat of Bristol City’s attack, the former Burnley playmaker who led the Robins in goals last season and whose ability to unlock defences with a pass or a strike from distance makes him the biggest threat Millwall will face on Saturday.

If Birmingham City’s reported interest in Max Bird materialises and the midfielder departs before Saturday, Twine’s creative burden increases further still.

The managers: Skubala vs Neil

Skubala’s path to Championship management has been anything but conventional.

A former PE teacher who began coaching part-time at Nottingham Forest’s and Coventry City’s academies, he spent years with the FA as England futsal head coach before joining Leeds United’s academy setup. He took caretaker charge of Leeds for three Premier League matches in early 2023, including a 2-2 draw at Old Trafford, before making Lincoln his first permanent senior role later that year.

What followed was remarkable: the Imps went from ninth to League One champions, collecting 103 points and earning Skubala both the EFL and LMA League One Manager of the Year awards.

Neil, 44, brings far more Championship experience to the touchline. The Scotsman won promotion to the Premier League with Norwich City in 2015 and has managed 389 Championship fixtures across spells with the Canaries, Preston North End, Sunderland and Stoke City.

His impact at Millwall since arriving in December 2024 has been transformative, turning a side that sat 13th into promotion contenders. This is not a manager who is still learning the second tier; this is one who has mastered it.

Tactical preview: Bristol City vs Millwall

Skubala favoured a 4-4-2 at Lincoln, built on quick transitions, direct passing through the thirds and an aggressive press high up the pitch. The early signs at Bristol City suggest he intends to implement a similar system, with Ballard and Tolaj asked to work in tandem up front and the wide midfielders, likely Hirakawa and Wallace, providing service from deep.

The key for Bristol City will be whether their new players can build understanding quickly enough to execute those rapid passing sequences against organised Championship opposition. Against Walsall, the Robins dominated possession but struggled to create clear-cut chances, a sign that Skubala’s patterns are still in their infancy.

Neil’s Millwall are a different proposition entirely. The 4-2-3-1 system that powered their promotion challenge last season is built on defensive solidity first, with two disciplined holding midfielders shielding a back four that kept 18 clean sheets in 2025-26.

The Lions are comfortable conceding possession and striking on the counter-attack, with Azeez’s pace on the right flank their primary outlet.

Bristol City’s high press could leave space in behind for Millwall to exploit, particularly through Azeez and whoever operates on the opposite flank, possibly Kyrell Lisbie.

The absence of Crama at centre back is a concern, however, as the defender was integral to the system’s success last season. Cooper and Taylor will need to be at their best to maintain the same level of defensive organisation.

Bristol City vs Millwall prediction and betting tips

Three of the last four meetings between these two sides produced one goal or fewer, and the under 2.5 goals market at 1.91 looks the strongest selection here.

Millwall kept a lot of clean sheets in the Championship last season, and their defensive setup under Neil does not suddenly fall apart because of one centre-back absence.

Bristol City, meanwhile, failed to score in their only competitive fixture under Skubala and looked blunt in the final third despite 67% possession against Walsall.

The draw at 3.40 represents good value for an opening-day fixture where one side is bedding in an entirely new system and the other has lost key players to injury.

Both teams showed enough defensive quality last season to suggest a low-scoring affair, but enough attacking quality to make a share of the spoils realistic.

For the long shot, 1-1 at 6.50 fits the pattern of recent meetings and the likely shape of this game: Bristol City finding the net through sheer weight of possession, Millwall punishing one lapse on the break.

Azeez to score anytime at 3.50 completes the tips, given his 11 league goals last season and the fact that he scored twice on his Super Eagles debut in May, meaning the Nigerian forward is carrying confidence into the new campaign.

Final score prediction

Opening-day fixtures in the Championship rarely produce fireworks, and this one has all the ingredients for a cagey afternoon at Ashton Gate.

Skubala’s Bristol City will have the ball for long stretches and should find a breakthrough through the energy of Ballard, but Millwall’s defensive structure, even without Crama, is too well drilled to collapse entirely.

Azeez, the Super Eagles forward, will get his chance on the counter, and if his recent form for both club and country is any guide, he will take it.

A draw feels right.