Coventryvs.Stoke

The Sky Blues are sitting in fifth place in the Championship table, while the Potters are languishing in 20th position.

Match preview

Coventry boss Frank Lampard has ignited a significant upturn in fortunes since replacing Robins at the end of November, having overseen 11 wins, three draws and four defeats in 18 league matches.

The Sky Blues have put together a four-game winning run since they crashed out of the FA Cup with a 4-1 home defeat against Premier League Ipswich Town.

They recorded victories over Queens Park Rangers, Sheffield Wednesday and Preston North End, before they picked up a 3-2 win in last Saturday's away clash against Oxford United.

Jack Rudoni and Ephron Mason-Clark saw their efforts cancelled out by Ole Romeny and Elliott Moore respectively, before Tatsuhiro Sakamoto netted his fourth goal of the season to restore Coventry's lead in the 71st minute.

Lampard's charges stood firm for the remainder of the contest to claim three precious points, moving them up to fifth place in the league table to leave them one point clear of the three teams behind him.

Having taken just one point from their last two home games against Stoke, Coventry are looking to record their first home win over the Potters since collecting a 1-0 victory in January 2022.

In contrast to Lampard, Robins has found life much tougher since taking over the reins as Stoke boss at the beginning of the calendar year, having won just two of his 10 Championship games in charge (D4, L4).

The Potters have taken just one point from their last three matches since beating Swansea City 3-1 in the middle of February.

They lost 4-2 to Norwich City and 3-1 to Middlesbrough, before they played out a goalless draw with Watford in last Saturday's meeting at the bet365 Stadium, leaving them five points clear of the bottom three.

Robins will be looking to get one over his former side on Saturday, but that may be easier said than done, especially as Stoke have won just one of their previous 10 away league matches (D3, L6).

The 55-year-old was in charge of Coventry for the reverse fixture in August when Lewis Baker scored the decisive goal to fire Stoke to a 1-0 victory.

As a result of that win, the Potters now have the chance to complete a league double over Coventry for the first time since the 1979-80 campaign.

Coventry City Championship form:

W

L

W

W

W

W

Coventry City form (all competitions):

L

L

W

W

W

W

Stoke City Championship form:

W

L

W

L

L

D

Stoke City form (all competitions):

L

L

W

L

L

D

Team News

Coventry will have to assess Rudoni after he was forced off in first-half stoppage time of last Saturday's win over Oxford.

Ben Sheaf returned from injury to replace Rudoni in the 3-2 win, with the skipper now in line to feature in the starting lineup against the Potters.

Midfielder Victor Torp should return to the matchday squad, having recovered from a calf problem which has kept him out of the last three matches.

As for the visitors, they could welcome back Lynden Gooch, Ben Gibson and Wouter Burger following their respective spells on the sidelines.

However, Robins is likely to be without the services of Sol Sidibe, Josh Wilson-Esbrand and Ryan Mmaee for Saturday's away trip.

Midfielder Lewis Baker could return to the starting lineup after missing the goalless draw with Watford due to illness.

Coventry City possible starting lineup:

Dovin; Van Ewijk, Thomas, Kitching, Bidwell; Sheaf, Eccles, Grimes; Sakamoto, Mason-Clark, Simms

Stoke City possible starting lineup:

Johansson; Tchamadeu, Phillips, Wilmot, Stevens; Pearson, Baker; Koumas, Moran, Bae; Al-Hamadi

We say: Coventry City 2-1 Stoke City

Coventry will carry significant momentum into Saturday's fixture after winning four consecutive matches, and we think that they will continue that fine run of form by claiming a narrow win over the former manager, especially as Stoke have lost three of their last four away games.

Written by

Ben Sully

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