"Derby won't enjoy playing him" - Millwall FC prediction made ahead of Pride Park clash | OneFootball

The Serbian youngster has scored three goals in his last six Championship games and could be a threat.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Millwall make the journey to the East Midlands on Saturday afternoon as they face a struggling Derby County side at Pride Park Stadium.

The Lions drew 1-1 in the week against Preston North End at Deepdale, keeping them just six points off the play-off places despite sitting in 14th.

Alex Neil has brought stability back to the South London club in the last couple of months following a poor run of form at the end of Neil Harris' tenure, and his side remain with an outside shot of finishing in the top six.

Millwall will be looking to wrong some of the rights from their draw with Derby back in October, as their opponents welcome new manager John Eustace for his first home game following a heavy 4-0 defeat to QPR at Loftus Road on just his second day in charge.

Derby warned to watch out for key Millwall player Mihailo Ivanovic

The race for the play-offs is incredibly intriguing, and there are nearly 10 clubs involved in the battle for the final two places in the top six.

Therefore, Saturday is a must-win for the Lions against a club that occupy the final relegation spot. Derby have found life in the Championship difficult to adjust to, and they have picked up just two points since beating West Bromwich Albion on Boxing Day.

They made multiple mistakes against the R's last weekend, and Neil's side must punish them if these issues arise once again.

Football League World has asked their Millwall Fan Pundit, Lucas Ball, which player the Rams should be warned of ahead of the clash.

"I’d probably have to say Mihailo Ivanovic," he started. "He’s just come off the back of scoring a good goal in midweek.

"He also scored a really good goal against Derby in the reverse fixture. He drove from just past the halfway line to get around the goalkeeper and slide it in nicely, so he's got a really nice goal catalogue.

"Ivanovic scores a real variety of goals and seems to be growing in confidence under Alex Neil. I think he can keep that run going and keep getting in behind looking for those balls. He needs to be a nuisance for defenders, hustle them and do all the sort of things that he has started to do really well."

Lucas concluded: "He seems to be improving a lot quickly and Derby won't enjoy playing him."

Ivanovic needs to find consistency but the signs are good

At just 20-years-old, the future is bright for Ivanovic and he has started to show signs that he is developing into a good Championship striker.

He has scored three goals in his last six league matches, and a visit to Pride Park should not worry him with his confidence levels improving.

However, he does need to show a bit more consistency in front of goal, and that will come with time. Derby found it difficult to contend with busy players on Friday and they have not yet settled into their new system, something that Ivanovic must capitalise on.

If Ivanovic can find space between the defenders on Saturday, he can punish the Rams and help push Millwall further into the play-off fight.