Middlesbrough FC v Millwall: Kim Hellberg on what going top of the Championship would mean

A victory of any kind at home to Millwall will see them lead the way after seven matches. After Saturday's game at Birmingham City the standings will be set until mid-October, thanks to a three-week international break.

Whilst Hellberg is not naïve enough to read too much into going top, he thinks it will ram home to his players how well they have started in what ought to have been, to use the well-worn excuse, a "transitional" phase.

"It's been crazy, a different situation to the other ones I've ever experienced," says Hellberg of the start to 2026-27. "I've never been involved in having so many new players and so many players going out, so many games, so many players coming late, a lot of people without pre-season.

"It's been an intense and different first two months of the season but I think the team has shown strong character and got a lot of good results through it.

“I'm very proud of my players for how they handled this quite unusual situation with so many new players.

"We have the chance to go top of the league which means in terms of points it's been very good. It's been growing from the first game to now.

"We have raised the bar a lot but there's a lot of room to keep improving.

"It's more about being in that top bracket of teams that had a good start.

"Everybody knows nothing's going to be decided after seven rounds of 46 but (I just say it) to get a little bit pf perspective of a very good start from a tricky situation, it's more about that."

Hellberg must consider how to use his squad, but does not expect Tommy Conway to complete 90 minutes in either game this week after a successful return from injury.

"It's a balance – how do you make changes?" says Hellberg.

"We try to balance do they gain energy from a game? It's always a balance but it's difficult to know exactly.

"We talk to the players, see how they look, but they can gain a lot of confidence from what we did (on Saturday).

"We will use the squad for the game but do we use it from the beginning or in the game?

"It's also knowing it's just two games before a big break.

"We had the Crystal Palace game where we rested a lot of players.

"It could mean some changes or subs more (likely) to happen."

Millwall inflicted a bruising home defeat on Middlesbrough as their automatic promotion push began to fall away last Easter but are a different team now, and to the Norwich City side Boro beat 4-3 on Saturday.

"Millwall, when they were here last time, they were in very good form," recalls Hellberg. "They lost some players from that game – some to injury, some leaving.

"They started the season very well but I know they have some injuries to important players for the team.

"They still are a very aggressive and defensive-minded team, a little bit different to Norwich, a little bit more direct, more duels and balls in the air."