Clearly this is a game that if everything goes correctly and normally, then Millwall will emerge as winners on the night. They are the home side and are playing against opponents from 3 leagues below them. For all that motivation will be present on the Dag & Red side, it will be for Millwall too. They certainly will be aware of the after effects of losing here. Millwall are considered a solid Championship club and even at that level they are never easily defeated. Therefore, it is likely they’ll need to severely under-perform in a big way to give the non-league away side a chance of causing a shock. Expecting that to happen might be wishful thinking. That is particularly the case knowing Dagenham have just 2 away league wins all season.

The pattern of how this match will play out can be relatively easy to predict. Although Millwall are not necessarily a free-flowing possession-based side, they should get that luxury in this contest. Dag & Red can be expected to flood bodies behind the ball, deep in their own half to try and be hard to break down. This will invite pressure onto their own goal. The Championship side will also look to make the most of their strengths, one of which is set pieces. It is in their best interest to record as many corners as possible considering they’ve netted 10 league goals this season from set pieces. This is the 3rd highest in their division. In league action, Alex Neil’s side have claimed an average of 5.32 corners per game this season. Considering this is against a much, much stronger quality of team than who they’ll be facing here, they should fancy their chances of surpassing that number on Monday night.

The anticipated game state here offers a decent indication of how the card situation should flow here. Obviously this is a Championship team facing a non-league club, and that quality should be pretty noticeable from the very start. The visitors will have to be fully switched on and focused for the entire 90 minutes, which is very tiring and demanding. They are bound to struggle to maintain this. Also, Ben Strevens’ team are no strangers in relation to producing a few tackles, at least in their respective league. In the National League, they are ranked 7th in terms of most yellow cards received. Although they may be 2nd best in terms of quality, they won’t be in awe of Millwall to the point where they’re afraid to get close to them. Millwall should be able to play and control this game at arm’s length if all goes well. There is a gulf in class that they’ll look to make the most of. Therefore, there isn’t likely to be any need for them to get too over emotional or stretched tactically to make many or any significant fouls on their opponents.

Macaulay Langstaff is playing his first ever season at Championship level and unsurprisingly he has found it tough. Coming in and out of the side certainly hasn’t helped, but just a 1 goal return reflects the major step up he has taken. This player earned his big move off the back of a successful time with Notts County, who scored goals for fun at League Two and National League levels. Therefore, he is one who should be really relishing this game as it is a very realistic chance for him to boost his confidence against much weaker opposition than Millwall are used to week-on-week. It was only a few years ago he banged in 42 goals in the same league Dagenham are currently in. The former York City man has motivation on his side to impress here. Alex Neil should rotate his team quite significantly and some of his usual starters will be quite relieved not to take this game in. Langstaff has a point to prove and he will be someone the Dagenham back line will be particularly fearful of facing.

Only one of Millwall’s victories this season in all competitions has not been alongside a clean sheet. Given these have come against Championship opposition, at the very least Millwall should be extending that when facing a team from 3 divisions below them. If they do keep a clean sheet, then hitting a -1 handicap has to be a strong contender. Dagenham are also not a team to be too trustworthy in from a defensive aspect. In their league, they’ve only kept 5 clean sheets all season, which only betters that of 7 of their rivals. Also, only 2 of those came away from home. There just simply isn’t anything screaming out to suggest Millwall should have much to worry about.

This is a big game for Dagenham given they are here to cause a shock and they are not regular participants at this stage of the FA Cup. However, Millwall are here to do a job too. All the pressure is on them and they’ll want to make this night as routine and uneventful as possible. No doubt Alex Neil will really drill into them the need to score a quick goal. This will avoid any nerves creeping into their play and also any negativity seeping into the minds of the home fans. There is also every chance Dag & Red could struggle in the early stages here. It is an occasion they are not used to and nerves may play against them. It is all about Millwall essentially as they possess the quality to win this match how they want, yet of course strange things can happen in cup ties. The hosts are set to rotate their team here and hand opportunities to fringe and younger players. All of those would easily walk into a National League side, so their superior quality still shouldn’t be questioned. However, they have the desire to impress as well given Alex Neil was recently named as manager and the squad are still in that stage where they are really eager to impress him.

Millwall do have a certain reputation attached to them in terms of being quite a gritty and hard-working side traditionally, and one which isn’t afraid to make a challenge or two. Although some of that is true, the reality is that they’re perhaps not as frequent of a visitor to the referee’s notebook as one may think. The team is actually ranked in the bottom-half in the Championship based on discipline. If this game all goes to plan, then Millwall really shouldn’t need to be too strenuous in their fouls here. Of course they will commit offences over the game, but facing a team from 3 leagues below, they should be able to use their quality as opposed to needing to resort to dirty tactics. The only way Millwall would feasibly lose their temper here is if things aren’t going well on the pitch. All known form suggests that is unlikely given the obvious gulf in class. Interestingly, they’ve gone 3 straight home games without receiving a card, and that is despite losing 2 of those, so they can keep their emotions in check.

Josh Rees is one of the more experienced members of Ben Strevens’ roster. He is someone that is actually used to these kinds of occasions having enjoyed good cup runs with Boreham Wood in the past. He is the kind of character his players will lean on to help guide them through this difficult assignment. This is a team player first and foremost, and it’d be no surprise to see him take one for the team. The 31-year-old has already helped himself to 5 yellow cards in league action for his side this season as well. This makes him ranked joint-second for bookings for the campaign. He rarely misses a beat and he is the kind of all-action player that plays on the edge, making him a good candidate for a card.