A blank player silhouette in front of Millwall's The Den stadium

Player silhouette and Millwall's The DenTung Manh Phan, Breaking Media

Who Millwall's Achilles heel is as West Ham gameplan for Dockers Derby win obvious

Senior Correspondent AUTHORITY Senior sports journalist with editorial experience at Football League World. FOCUS Statistical analysis and long-form opinion across the Breaking Media network. THE INSIGHT James utilises data and a network of club contacts to deliver verified, expert analysis. He provides the statistical depth and editorial judgment behind the stories to ensure fans get the full picture

Published on:

19 Sep 2026, 7:30 am

West Ham United can't let one Millwall player in particular go unpunished on Saturday.

It's finally here West Ham fans: it's Dockers Derby day in Bermondsey.

Nuno Espirito Santo takes his side to The Den for a 12:30pm kick-off in the Championship, in what is arguably the biggest fixture in the league's calendar this term.

Millwall enter the game off the back of a taxing 2-2 draw away at Middlesbrough in midweek.

Meanwhile, the Irons are looking for a response after their 3-2 Carabao Cup loss to Fulham.

West Ham will fancy their chances of victory at the home of their bitter rivals, and that will largely stem from Millwall's goalkeeper, Max Crocombe.

How poor has Millwall keeper Max Crocombe been this season?

Millwall, after finishing third in the Championship last season, will again harbour promotion hopes of their own this term.

However, very rarely can this be achieved without a safe pair of hands between the sticks.

But in 33-year-old New Zealand international Crocombe, the Lions don't seem to have that.

He's conceded 13 goals from 26 shots faced and kept just the one clean sheet from five Championship appearances this season.

Have to have some sympathy for Max Crocombe

Sure as eggs is eggs he’s getting dropped once all the players come back and we reset / restart our season Preston away.

Thankless task right now. He knows he’s not accepted as the No1 here. And he’s holding fort while we’re taking…
— Phil Clarke (@philclarke0170) September 15, 2026

As per FotMob, no Championship goalkeeper has a worse goals prevented number than his -3.53 in 2026-27 so far.

Meanwhile, he ranks in the bottom 6.7 per cent of all second-tier goalkeepers for his 50 per cent save percentage.

His 56.9 per cent pass success rate also places him in the bottom 30 per cent of his positional rivals.

Nuno should absolutely be instructing his West Ham players to get their shots off as early and as frequently as possible then.

But why, despite Crocombe's poor performances and numbers, will Millwall boss Alex Neil have no choice but to start him against West Ham?

The two-decade first West Ham will tick off with victory over Millwall

Why West Ham have caught Millwall at ideal Crocombe time

The involvement of luck is often required to win any derby game, and West Ham have certainly hit the jackpot ahead of Millwall.

Lukas Jensen, Millwall's number one goalkeeper, is currently out injured with a quad injury, and won't be fit to play against the Hammers.

That leaves the Lions with only 23-year-old Filip Marschall, 21-year-old George Evans and 30-year-old Joel Coleman as their only other options.

Marschall has only made one competitive appearance for Millwall after being signed from League One Stevenage this summer.

Evans, a Millwall academy product, has made four career appearances for them but all of those came in 2024-25, and he was on loan in non-league with Hartlepool last term.

As for Coleman, he's not played a single minute of competitive football since the 2023-24 season when he was a Bolton player.

Therefore, Crocombe is actually Millwall's best option between the sticks at the moment.

West Ham have a golden chance to feast at The Den this lunchtime, and not putting a few past Crocombe would have to be seen as a huge missed opportunity.

Middlesbrough Football Club