Coventryvs.Leeds

The Sky Blues were handsome victors in South Wales on the weekend, whilst the Whites cemented their position as title favourites with a standout success at Elland Road.

Match preview

Since the 2-1 defeat at the home of Norwich City on January 4, Coventry City have transformed themselves into one of the in-form sides of the Championship in 2025, enjoying a four-match winning streak in the division, a run which continued at the South Wales base of Swansea City on Saturday afternoon.

Working in perfect harmony as a two-man forward line in the absence of some other key attackers, Ellis Simms and Brandon Thomas-Asante both made the net ripple for the Sky Blues at the Swansea.com Stadium, extending Frank Lampard's excellent start to life in the East Midlands.

After collecting a maximum of 12 points from their last four second-tier contests, Coventry have moved themselves up to 11th place in the Championship standings ahead of Wednesday night's clash, just three points behind West Bromwich Albion, who are currently guarding entry to the playoffs.

Following some notable defeats at their East Midlands base earlier in the campaign under the tutelage of Mark Robins, the Sky Blues have relished in stellar home form since the arrival of former Chelsea and England midfielder Lampard, with Wednesday's hosts unbeaten in seven matches at The CBS Arena.

There has also been positive news in the winter transfer window for Coventry in recent times, with Lampard's troops securing the services of Championship veteran Matt Grimes from Swansea, with the midfielder signing a three-year deal at the East Midlands juggernauts.

After failing at the final hurdle of the playoffs last season in their quest for promotion to the Premier League, Leeds United look set to leave nothing to chance this time around, with Wednesday's visitors hurtling towards automatic promotion and the title following a 13-game unbeaten run.

The Whites' largest margin of victory arrived on a glorious afternoon in Yorkshire on Saturday, when six different players found the net for the hosts in a seven-goal drubbing of Cardiff City, who faced an eye-watering 29 shots from Daniel Farke's men during the one-sided contest.

Last tasting defeat at the end of November in the second tier, Leeds have unsurprisingly assumed control at the very summit of the Championship table ahead of this week's trip to Coventry, now possessing a five-point buffer over low-scoring Burnley in third position.

Bagging a brilliant brace on the weekend against the helpless Bluebirds, Joel Piroe has now netted 12 goals across 30 Championship appearances during the 2024-25 campaign, with the flying Dutchman only trailing Norwich's Borja Sainz (15) in the race for the division's Golden Boot.

Coventry City Championship form:

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L

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Coventry City form (all competitions):

L

W

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W

Leeds United Championship form:

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D

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Leeds United form (all competitions):

D

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W

Team News

Ineligible to face his former employers Swansea on the weekend, Coventry new man Matt Grimes could start in the heart of midfield on Wednesday night.

The Sky Blues are short of options in the engine room due to the absence of Ben Sheaf, who is expected back in a few weeks from a muscle injury.

There are also fitness concerns for the hosts in forward areas, with leading marksman Haji Wright and Ephron Mason-Clark in the medical room.

Failing to feature for Leeds since the New Year's Day clash with Blackburn Rovers, Patrick Bamford is edging towards his return from a hamstring issue.

Helping their side to keep another clean sheet last time out, a Welsh wall of Joe Rodon and Ethan Ampadu should start at centre-back in the East Midlands.

Coventry City possible starting lineup:

Dovin; Latibeaudiere, Thomas, Kitching, Van Ewijk, Grimes, Allen, Rudoni, Bidwell; Simms, Thomas-Asante

Leeds United possible starting lineup:

Meslier; Bogle, Rodon, Ampadu, Firpo; Tanaka, Rothwell, James, Aaronson, Solomon; Piroe

We say: Coventry City 1-1 Leeds United

Unbeaten at home since the arrival of Lampard, Coventry should be confident of earning a result against the league leaders on Wednesday night.

Written by

Carter White

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