Coventry City vs. West Brom – ‘New’ kick-off time, prediction, team news, lineups
In what can only be described as a playoff six-pointer, Coventry City and West Bromwich Albion will clash at the Coventry Building Society Arena in the Championship on Good Friday.
The Sky Blues were frustratingly held to a draw at Hull City last time out, whilst the Baggies secured a much-needed success over Watford at The Hawthorns.
Match preview
Languishing in the lower reaches of the second-tier table at the beginning of this season under Mark Robins, Coventry City have enjoyed a marvellous rise to power in the top-six race with Frank Lampard, who is thriving in management once again following tricky spells at Chelsea and Everton.
That being said, the Sky Blues passed up a major opportunity to strengthen their grip on a position in the playoffs on Monday night, when the East Midlands outfit were unable to hold onto maximum points at the MKM Stadium versus Hull, who equalised during the closing stages through Abu Kamara.
Scoring the opener on Humberside last time out, January arrival Matt Grimes started his first game alongside club captain Ben Sheaf at the heart of midfield, with the pair providing a layer of engine-room protection for playmaker Jack Rudoni, who has produced 12 assists in the second tier.
Despite winning just one of their last four second-tier clashes, the Sky Blues are currently occupying sixth spot in the Championship table with only four games left to play, just three points ahead of West Brom, Middlesbrough and Millwall, highlighting the competitiveness of the playoff race.
Lampard’s troops also rank sixth in terms of home form in the second tier but will need to improve on their recent record against West Brom if they want to gain a significant advantage in the rankings, with Coventry losing five of their last seven matches versus the Baggies.
Following a five-game winless run in the Championship – a spell which included three straight defeats after March’s international break – it appeared as if West Brom’s faint hopes of a Premier League return were set to vanish, however a narrow victory over Watford last time out has kept Albion in the hunt for a top-six standing.
Struggling since the injury to forward partner Josh Maja, England Under-21 international Tom Fellows was at his scintillating best against the Hornets at The Hawthorns, where the winger bagged his 12th and 13th assists of the second-tier term, setting up Karlan Grant and Mikey Johnston.
Enjoying their first maximum in over a month on the weekend, West Brom moved up to seventh spot in the Championship table, now just three points behind Coventry in the lowest of the playoff spots, with a Good Friday victory enough for Tony Mowbray’s side to leapfrog the Sky Blues.
Whilst The Hawthorns remains a relatively happy hunting ground for Albion this season, the Baggies have been uninspiring on the road in recent times, currently in the midst of a 13-game winless away run in the Championship, with their most recent success away from the Black Country arriving in Hull on November 10.
West Brom welcomed a number of exciting names to the squad during the January transfer window, however it is fair to say that the biggest of them all has failed to hit the ground running, with Southampton loanee Adam Armstrong scoring only twice across 12 second-tier appearances.
Coventry City Championship form:
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West Bromwich Albion Championship form:
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Team News
Coventry remain without the services of midfielder Victor Torp (ankle), meaning that a newly-formed pair of Grimes and Sheaf should continue in the middle of the park.
Bradley Collins is set to retain his spot in goal for the Sky Blues after hardly being tested at Hull earlier in the week, whilst Oliver Dovin commences his long recovery from a cruciate ligament injury.
West Brom have received a major fitness boost ahead of Friday’s trip across the Midlands, with captain Jed Wallace available once again following a calf problem.
The Baggies are unable to call upon the talents of leading goalscorer Maja, who has not featured in the Championship since February owing to a calf issue.
Both missing the victory over Watford on Saturday, Tammer Bany and Ousmane Diakite have a chance of featuring for Albion at the CBS Arena.
Coventry City possible starting lineup:
Collins; Van Ewijk, Latibeaudiere, Kitching, Dasilva; Sheaf, Grimes; Sakamoto, Rudoni, Wright; Simms
West Bromwich Albion possible starting lineup:
Griffiths; Furlong, Bartley, Heggem, Styles; Price, Mowatt; Fellows, Grant, Johnston; Lankshear
We say: Coventry City 2-1 West Bromwich Albion
In front of a sold-out East Midlands crowd, Coventry will be desperate to earn a vital three points against one of their playoff-chasing rivals.
West Brom cannot afford to lose further ground on the Sky Blues, but the Baggies are unlikely to enjoy a change of their woeful fortunes on the road this Friday.
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