Palace FA Cup tie 'great challenge' for Lions - Neil

Alex Neil has won six of his 13 games since taking over as Millwall boss

Millwall boss Alex Neil says he is relishing the challenge of facing Premier League opposition when they take on Crystal Palace in the FA Cup.

The Lions travel to Selhurst Park for their fifth-round London derby tie on Saturday (12:15 GMT), looking to reach the quarter-final for the first time since 2018-19.

Neil knows it will be a difficult game but is hoping to draw on the experience from Millwall's impressive 2-0 win at Leeds United in the previous round.

"I'm not comparing the two teams, but we went to Leeds when they were favourites and I thought we performed really well," Neil told BBC Radio London.

"We went with a gameplan and we carried it out really well. This game will be of a similar ilk I think.

"It will be a high-quality game with good players on the pitch and hopefully we can do ourselves justice."

The 43-year-old Scot has been in charge of Millwall for two months since replacing Neil Harris and has guided them to within six points of the Championship play-off spots.

Neil says it will be a "great challenge" to test themselves against a high-level opponent and that his side will "try their best" to cause an upset, even if it is a "big ask".

"It's a great game for us, we know they're a really good side," Neil said.

"We know we're going to have to put a really strong performance in if we want to try and get a result.

"There's nothing better if you're trying to get a yardstick on where you are as a group and I think this will be a good test for us."

'We will attack the game'

Millwall have had a week to prepare for this game, having previously played five matches in 14 days, and also host Bristol City in the league on Tuesday night.

Neil says trying to win the tie is "without a doubt" a priority, but the "accumulation of minutes" in recent weeks may impact his team selection.

"I don't think Tuesday will have a big bearing, I think what will have a big bearing is the amount of lads that have played so many minutes prior to this point because we've had a lot of games," he said.

"Also we've got a few cup-tied that will naturally bring about a few changes and then how we're going to go about the game.

"So they're the main elements that will dictate what the team looks like."

He added: "What I will say, we will attack the game, we want to win the game, we won't be taking it lightly.

"We will go with the strongest team for us to win the game. Beyond that, I hope we perform well.

"I don't think there is going to be much motivating required from me due to the nature of the fact it's a local derby - there will be a great crowd there for both.

"The players will be more than motivated for this game."