MILLWALL HOST WEST HAM IN 100TH MEETING AFTER 14 YEARS

Millwall will host West Ham United at The Den at 12:30 BST on Saturday in the 100th competitive meeting between the two clubs. It will be the first time the sides have met in a competitive fixture since February 2012, a gap of some 14 years. West Ham are due to make the short trip across London for the fixture. In the years since the clubs last met, both have seen changes of manager and playing staff, according to BBC Sport. The rivalry has, in that time, been kept alive largely through memories, stories and archive footage among supporters.

The fixture carries significance that extends beyond the short distance separating the two clubs, BBC Sport reported. Millwall supporter George Cole, who was 10 years old when the teams last played each other in 2012, said he had grown up aware of the significance of the derby without having experienced it as an adult supporter. Speaking to BBC Radio London, Cole said it was important "to play the game rather than the occasion" and that while passion was needed, composure would also matter. For some younger supporters, Saturday will mark their first experience of the fixture. Sky Sports described the meeting as one of football's fiercest rivalries.

West Ham manager Nuno Espirito Santo said he understood what Saturday represented for both clubs, describing matches of this kind as "so special." The Portuguese manager said he had been involved in many rivalries during his career, as had a number of his players, and that they understood the game would be decided on the pitch. He said what happens on the pitch "dictates the games," according to BBC Sport. Both managers were reported to be focused on ensuring their players concentrate on performance once the match begins, rather than the wider occasion surrounding it.