Coventryvs.Sheff Weds

The two sides met on four occasions last season, with the hosts winning three times across the Championship and FA Cup.

Match preview

Coventry City return to action on Saturday aiming to continue to bounce back from a disappointing start to their Championship campaign, having struggled to get up and running in their bid to kick on from fifth and ninth-placed finishes in the previous two years.

In their first seven outings, Mark Robins's team earned just five points, scoring just six goals and conceding 11 along the way, having endured a five-match unbeaten streak between mid-August and the end of September.

That rut culminated in back-to-back defeats at the hands of Swansea City and Leeds United, with the latter being a 3-0 beating at Elland Road last weekend, before they set out to bounce back to winning ways at home to unbeaten Blackburn Rovers on Tuesday.

The Sky Blues did so in style, dishing out a 3-0 beating as Jake Bidwell opened the scoring in the 11th minute, Haji Wright doubled the lead at the beginning of the second half and Brandon Thomas-Asante put the game out of sight six minutes from time.

Now bound to have a degree of renewed confidence in the camp following their unexpected slow start, Coventry City will now bid to make it back-to-back wins heading into the international break to continue a climb towards the right end of the division.

Their visitors, meanwhile, will also bid to continue putting a slow start behind them, having shown signs of improvement over the last week.

After making a winning start to their first full season under the management of Danny Rohl, Sheffield Wednesday quickly dropped to the bottom end of the Championship following a five-match winless streak which produced a single point between mid-August and mid-September.

A tough test at home to early leaders West Bromwich Albion then followed last weekend, and the Owls made an impressive return to winning ways in a 3-2 triumph, having initially led 2-0 through a Darnell Furlong and a Josh Windass header, only to surrender the lead in the final 25 minutes and go back ahead through Anthony Musaba in the dying embers.

With renewed optimism from that statement victory at Hillsborough, Rohl's men most recently visited Bristol City on Wednesday, and they made it two games unbeaten by taking a pleasing share of the spoils from a goalless stalemate at Ashton Gate.

Having seemingly bounced back from their poor run to move out of the bottom three, Sheffield Wednesday will now look to keep building momentum with another victory on Saturday ahead of the upcoming break.

Coventry City Championship form:

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Coventry City form (all competitions):

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Sheffield Wednesday Championship form:

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Sheffield Wednesday form (all competitions):

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Team News

Coventry City will remain without midfielder Jamie Allen due to an injury, while Tatsuhiro Sakamoto will also miss out after being forced off in the opening 10 minutes of their meeting with Blackburn Rovers in midweek.

In what could be the only change from that 3-0 victory, Ephron Mason-Clark should take his place on the right wing, joining Brandon Thomas-Asante and Haji Wright, both of whom got on the scoresheet on Tuesday.

Jack Rudoni will offer further support through the centre, while key man Ben Sheaf has returned from his injury layoff and rejoined Josh Eccles in front of the Sky Blues' back four.

Danny Rohl may wish to deploy an unchanged Sheffield Wednesday starting XI from Wednesday's draw away at Bristol City, although Liam Palmer may not be fit to feature in a back three after picking up an injury concern it that game.

Olaf Kobacki is another fresh concern, while Dominic Iorfa and Nathaniel Chalobah remain sidelined by injuries.

If Palmer misses out, Michael Ihiekwe should come in to join Di'Shon Bernard and Akin Famewo in a back three, while Josh Windass, Ike Ugbo and Anthony Musaba will all fight to keep their places in the attack despite competition from Jamal Lowe, Michael Smith and Djeidi Gassama.

Coventry City possible starting lineup:

Wilson; Van Ewijk, Thomas, Kitching, Bidwell; Sheaf, Eccles; Mason-Clark, Rudoni, Wright; Thomas-Asante

Sheffield Wednesday possible starting lineup:

Beadle; Ihiekwe, Bernard, Famewo; Valery, Charles, Bannan, Johnson; Windass, Ugbo, Musaba

We say: Coventry City 2-1 Sheffield Wednesday

Sheffield Wednesday have certainly shown their resilience in the last week to bounce back from a dismal run with two pleasing results and should certainly make it tough for their hosts on Saturday.

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