Millwall waiting on Jake Cooper for Portsmouth cup tie

Posted Tuesday, August 10, 2021 by PA

Millwall defender Jake Cooper is a doubt for Tuesday’s Carabao Cup first-round clash with Portsmouth at the Den.

Cooper missed the 1-1 Championship draw at QPR on Saturday due to a back problem and was set to undergo a late fitness test ahead of the cup tie.

Forward Mason Bennett remains sidelined by the ankle injury he sustained in the pre-season match at Ipswich on July 31.

Otherwise, boss Gary Rowett appears to have a fully-fit squad to select from.

It remains to be seen whether there is any involvement for Portsmouth midfielder Shaun Williams against his old club.

Williams, who joined Pompey during the summer following the expiry of his contract with Millwall, was withdrawn from the starting XI for Saturday’s 1-0 League One win at Fleetwood prior to kick-off with a stiff back.

Boss Danny Cowley has said Williams has made “good progress” since then, but added: “He’s obviously very keen to appear against his former club, but there is a bigger picture for us to look at. There’s a decision to make because we’ve got a very important league game on Saturday (against Crewe) and a small squad at the moment.”

Paul Downing (hamstring) and Ellis Harrison have returned to training, but Jayden Reid (knee) and Liam Vincent (shin) remain unavailable.