Millwall boss not expecting to fill bench for FA Cup tie against Palace – and there could be real defensive headache

Millwall could be facing a defensive headache for Saturday’s FA Cup tie against Crystal Palace.

The Lions are already without Daniel Ballard (knee) and Ryan Leonard (ankle).

But manager Gary Rowett has also revealed that right wing-back Danny McNamara is sidelined due to illness.

Murray Wallace’s partner is also due to give birth.

“George Saville’s wife had a baby yesterday so he’s not been with the team for the last 24 hours,” said Rowett. “Murray’s wife is due any day. We’ve got a couple of moving parts in the squad.

“Danny McNamara has been ill – so this week hasn’t got any easier. We’ve got a few last-minute calls about what will be available.”

Mason Bennett, who missed Sunday’s 3-2 loss at Bristol City due to injury, trained on Wednesday – as did Dutchman Maikel Kieftenbeld.

“Dan is probably the main concern,” said Rowett. “He hasn’t trained and I don’t anticipate him being in today to train.

“The challenge at the moment is that we’re a little bit light in that back four or five, that would potentially stretch us – especially if Murray’s situation changes towards the weekend.

“We’ve got young players desperate to be involved. You can have nine players on the bench. At this moment I think it’s very unlikely we’ll have nine to go on the bench. But we’ll have a go at involving a few. There might be an opportunity to see some of our young players off the bench in a big game, that is quite exciting.

“We want to be really competitive and try and win the game but, at the same time, we have an opportunity to get a glimpse of what the team might look like in the next 18 months.”