Millwall v Hull City: First shirts, now Tigers set for more changes

When asked about Hull’s dire home form under him, the Georgian joked before the match against Cardiff City “probably we will have to change the shirts for a game and see if it works.”

Except he was not joking, and wearing their all-black change strip the Tigers ended a run of six consecutive home defeats with a 2-1 victory which made it mathematically impossible for them to be relegated.

Now he is threatening to contradict something else he said that day.

“You cannot change all the time,” he warned then, talking about wanting a settled side, but he had changed his tune by Friday, opening the door to experimentation and rotation.

“We need to recover, we need to talk to the boys and see how they are,” he said. “Some boys (who did not start on Friday) will start, definitely.”

Marcus Forss, Tom Huddlestone, Di’Shon Bernard and Greg Docherty will all be hoping that means them after limited opportunities lately. Nathan Baxter has not featured since being injured in Arveladze’s first game in charge, with the former Rangers striker arguing that since Baxter and Matt Ingram were on a similar level, he was sticking with the man in possession.

Huddlestone has a new contract to play for with the club having the option to extend his deal 12 months whilst Baxter, Bernard and Forss are on loan, from Chelsea, Manchester United and Brentford respectively.

Last six games: Millwall DWLDLW; Hull City WWLLWD

Referee: D Whitestone (Northampton)

Last time: Millwall 1 Hull City 1, August 31, 2019, Championship