Millwall and Alex Neil have double weapon that could cause play-off shock | OneFootball

Ivanović and Coburn offer a timely edge in the Lions’ surprise play-off push

Millwall are five away with five to play - and suddenly, they’re in with a shout of pulling off the Championship’s late-season shock.

On paper, that margin may appear daunting but in reality, it feels tantalisingly within reach. Tuesday night's dogged 1-0 victory away at Sheffield United, a side long-touted for automatic promotion, was yet another indication that Alex Neil’s resurgent Millwall are trending upward at just the right moment.

With rivals such as Norwich City, Watford, and Blackburn Rovers faltering, the Lions are emerging as genuine late contenders for the top six.

Mihailo Ivanović and Josh Coburn are powering Millwall’s late play-off push

At the heart of this push lies a potent double threat up front. In Mihailo Ivanović and Josh Coburn, Millwall possess not one but two physically dominant centre-forwards, both hitting form at precisely the right time.

Their profiles may be similar - tall, combative, aerially assured - but their combined effect could be the defining factor in Millwall’s late-season charge.

Ivanović, the 20-year-old Serbian international, has grown into his role as the club’s leading striker over the course of the season. Signed from Vojvodina via a loan spell from Sampdoria, his transition to English football has led him to become a Lions’ breakout star in 24/25.

With total nine goals in 35 appearances, including a brace against Portsmouth and a sharp finish against Stoke City, he leads the club’s scoring charts.

But Ivanović offers more than numbers. He’s a target man who relishes the physical battle, wins his ground duels, and brings others into play - a throwback centre-forward with a modern engine.

Coburn, meanwhile, has proven a shrewd loan addition from Middlesbrough. The 22-year-old’s decisive strike at Bramall Lane midweek was emblematic of his growing composure in front of goal.

Though his tally of five goals from 18 appearances might appear modest, Coburn’s contribution has come in key moments, and like Ivanović, his ability to pin defenders and lead the line is crucial to Neil’s increasingly refined tactical blueprint.

The Boro loanee offers Millwall a huge physical and aerial outlet, with few centre-backs able to physically handle Coburn in and around the box. Ivanović and Coburn both complement eachother excellently, and the Lions will hope the duo keep finding the back of the net in the remaining weeks of the season.

Alex Neil has built a Millwall team that is made for the play-offs

Indeed, credit must go to Neil himself. Since arriving in late December, he has overseen a steady evolution in the Lions' structure and identity.

Where once the side appeared predictable, now there is shape, control, and no shortage of belief. Players such as Billy Mitchell and Joe Bryan have rediscovered form, but it’s the clarity of roles throughout the squad that has elevated performances.

Statistically, Millwall are one of the Championship’s most intriguing outliers. They boast the sixth-best defensive record in the division, with just one goal conceded per match on average and 14 clean sheets to their name.

Their 12.8 successful tackles per game is a league high, complemented by the second-most interceptions. Yet they also hold the lowest average possession share in the division - proof not of inferiority, but of ruthless counter-attacking discipline. This is a side built for springtime knockout football.

Importantly, they’re also the only team to have beaten all three of the Championship’s current top sides - Leeds United, Burnley, and Sheffield United. It’s a statistic that speaks to their capacity to rise to the occasion.