Bialkowski or Sarkic to face Coventry? Millwall head coach Edwards on goalkeeping selection dilemma – and McNamara injury blow

Millwall head coach Joe Edwards has made it clear that they will have to tread carefully with Matija Sarkic’s game time, with the summer signing set to be back in his matchday squad for Saturday’s home game against Coventry City.

The goalkeeper was signed from Wolves in the summer to be the Lions number one but has been out with a quad injury since September.

Edwards confirmed earlier this week that Sarkic had been back in full training during the international break.

But asked if that means he is guaranteed to come straight back into the starting line-up to face the Sky Blues, Edwards responded: “Definitely not. Firstly in terms of Matty being back available, we have to acknowledge I have been here for one game and Bart played in that – we kept a clean sheet and he made some good saves against Sheffield Wednesday. So that was always going to be a nice selection dilemma for me.

“Matty has been back in and trained pretty much every session that I’ve been here but there is a difference being available from a medical point of view and ready to play and, more importantly, jump back into this busy schedule of fixtures.

“It’s a long chat we had this morning and over the next day, really, between the staff and Matty – we’ll be talking about that. If you look back to his introduction to the club and when he got the injury, he maybe didn’t have the greatest base behind him and a body of games – which led to him getting injured.

“So now we’re just looking at the fact he is back available – which is great – but also going into a very busy period.

“It can’t be as straightforward as putting him in and expecting him to play every minute of every game from now. We’ve got to manage him well. It’s a delicate one and that’s why we’ve got good staff in the physical and medical staff doing. It will be a decision we make in the coming days as to how much he is involved.”

Full-back Danny McNamara is set to sit out the Den clash this weekend with a slight knee niggle.

“Danny was improving slightly but then had a bit of discomfort on Wednesday evening – he is very likely out for the Coventry game,” said Edwards. “Hopefully not too much beyond that. Ipswich would be touch and go.

“It certainly isn’t a long-term injury but I’m pretty sure, at this moment, that Danny is out of the Coventry game.”