Meet the opposition | Millwall
As the Swans travel to The Den to face Millwall on Sunday afternoon, we take a closer look at the Lions
What's their story?
Millwall are in their ninth-straight season in the Championship having secured their place in the second tier via the play-offs in 2017.
They have been mainstays of the second tier, having spent just two of the last 13 campaigns in League One.
The Lions haven’t been in the top-flight of English football since the 1989-90 season; the closest they have come to a return was when finishing just outside the play-offs in 2018, 2020, 2023 and 2025.
They famously reached the 2004 FA Cup final, but were beaten 3-0 at the Millennium Stadium by Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United.
How's their form?
A run of seven wins in 11 games between the start of October and start of December had Millwall firmly in the play-off places.
A sequence of one win in sixth has seen them drop to seventh in the table, but they are unbeaten in their last three.
Of their seven league defeats this term, four have come at home.
Who's the gaffer?
Alex Neil. A former midfielder, Neil was appointed Lions boss in December 2024, replacing Neil Harris and leading them to the brink of the play-offs.
He had previously been in charge of Stoke, but departed the Potters in December of 2023.
Neil started his managerial career at Scottish side Hamilton Academical in 2013, having skippered them when former Swans assistant Billy Reid held the managerial reins.
He went on to be appointed as player-manager on an interim basis and led the club to promotion back to the Scottish Premier League in his first full season in charge.
Neil took charge of Norwich City in January 2015 and enjoyed a phenomenal first few months in charge, leading the Canaries to promotion to the top-flight with a play-off final victory over Middlesbrough.
However, their time in the top-flight lasted less than 12 months as they suffered relegation the following season.
He left Carrow Road and was appointed as Preston manager in July 2017 and had the Lilywhites challenging for a play-off spot for the majority of his time at Deepdale.
He departed the Lancashire club in 2021, and a year later took the reins at Sunderland to guide the Black Cats back to the Championship via the play-offs.
Who's the captain?
Towering Bracknell-born centre-half Jake Cooper has been a crucial figure in defence for Millwall for a number of seasons, and has taken over as club captain from Shaun Hutchinson having skippered the side on a number of occasions previously.
Cooper - who has just extended his contract at The Den - has over 400 appearances to his name since joining from Reading and is an effective presence in both boxes.
His consistency and durability were underlined by a run of playing every minute of 136 consecutive league games between August 2018 and December 2020.
Cooper had come through the academy ranks at Reading, joining the Berkshire club at the age of 14 before progressing to the senior ranks.
An impressive loan spell with Millwall in 2017 paved the way for his permanent move and he has been a stalwart ever since.
Who are the key men?
Forward Femi Azeez currently tops the goalscoring charts for the Lions this season, with six goals to his name.
Azeez joined Watford’s academy at the age of nine but was released at 14, before rebuilding his career in non-league football with Northwood, Wealdstone, and a short loan spell at Hanwell Town. His performances earned him his first EFL move in 2019, when he signed for Reading.
Initially joining the Royals’ youth setup, Azeez made his first-team debut in March 2021 during a 3-0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday. He scored his first league goal the following season in a 2-1 win against Preston North End.
Regular game time soon followed, and after Reading’s relegation at the end of the 2022-23 campaign, Azeez played a key role in helping the club avoid back-to-back relegations. He contributed eight goals and seven assists in 46 league appearances before completing a move to The Den the following summer.
Defender Tristan Crama broke into the Millwall team as a result of injuries shortly after he joined from Brentford in January 2025, but his excellent performances mean he nailed down a place in the team that he has not relinquished.
The centre-back, who spent most of the second half of last season at right-back, hails from Beziers in the south of France and first emerged at his hometown club before being snapped up by Brentford in 2020.
He came close to a first-team appearance for the west London club, but was a regular for their 'B' team, and had successful loans with Bristol Rovers and Exeter City, before being recalled from the latter spell to make the permanent move to The Den.
So far the Frenchman has scored twice for the Lions this season, including a 90th minute winner at home to Southampton in November.
Another player to benefit from Millwall’s defensive injury problems is Caleb Taylor, who has been given the chance to make his mark in his first season with the Lions following his summer move from West Bromwich Albion.
Taylor joined the Baggies’ academy at under-10 level and made his senior debut almost a decade later, also earning his first start in a 6-0 defeat to Arsenal in the EFL Cup.
The central defender then gained valuable experience through loan spells with Cheltenham Town and Bolton Wanderers, before enjoying a successful stint with Wycombe Wanderers last season. He was recalled by his parent club at the start of January, featured once in the FA Cup, and then returned to the Chairboys later that month.
Taylor went on to help Wycombe reach the League One play-offs, although their campaign ended with semi-final defeat to Charlton Athletic. He completed a long-term move to Millwall ahead of the current season.