Aiming to avoid back-to-back defeats for the first time under the reign of Frank Lampard, Coventry City will welcome top-two chasing Burnley to the Coventry Building Society Arena on Saturday afternoon for a Championship battle.
The Sky Blues were brought back down to Earth by a humbling defeat at Sheffield United last week, whilst the Clarets continued their march to the Premier League with a home success over Bristol City.
Match preview
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Rising from second-tier obscurity to the playoff race since the arrival of Chelsea legend Lampard in late November, Coventry were on cloud nine heading into the international break, however a recent Friday night trip to Sheffield United highlighted that the East Midlands club still have improvements to make in order to realise their Premier League ambitions.
Goal-getting midfielder Gustavo Hamer showed no mercy against his former employers last time out as he fired home a sensational free kick to put the Blades ahead at Bramall Lane, where further strikes from Tyrese Campbell and Rhian Brewster put the game beyond the Sky Blues.
Breaching the net of United’s Michael Cooper during the final stages of the clash to provide momentary joy for Coventry, Jack Rudoni continued his excellent recent form at the top end of the pitch, with the ex-Huddersfield Town man scoring or assisting in each of his last six second-tier appearances.
Despite a difficult evening in Yorkshire last time out, Lampard’s troops remain in great form – winning 10 of their last 13 second-tier matches – and sit fifth in the Championship table ahead of Saturday’s hosting of Burnley, two points ahead of seventh-placed Middlesbrough.
Whilst the Sky Blues would likely kill for a striker of Viktor Gyokeres‘s talents as they look to amend their playoff heartbreak of 2023, a marksman from across the pond has delivered the goods for Coventry so far this term, with American Haji Wright scoring 10 goals in just 20 league appearances.
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Even a two-week pause could not disrupt the defensive solidity of Burnley, who returned from the international break to record a 1-0 victory over playoff hopefuls Bristol City at Turf Moor last Saturday, with flying Dutchman Zian Flemming providing the game-deciding moment in the 16th minute.
England international James Trafford had just the single save to make against the Robins last time out as the Clarets posted their 28th clean sheet of the second-tier campaign, with Scott Parker‘s side now only three shutouts away from collecting the most in the single season across English league history.
With such an outrageous achievement potentially a week away, Burnley are unsurprisingly right in the mix for automatic promotion to the Premier League at the beginning of May, with Saturday’s hosts currently occupying third spot in the Championship standings, level on points with Leeds United in second and two points back from league-leading Sheffield United.
Whilst their 20-game unbeaten run at fortress Turf Moor oftens steals the limelight, the Clarets are also extremely productive on their second-tier travels under Parker, with the Lancashire outfit collecting 39 points from 19 away matches, suffering defeat on just two occasions.
Burnley were victorious in both of their away contests during the month of March as they enjoyed two successful trips to South Wales at the bases of Cardiff City and Swansea City, with midfielder Josh Brownhill scoring in each outing, taking his league goal tally up to 13 for the campaign.
Team News
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Coventry suffered defeat and an injury blow at Sheffield United last time out, with goalkeeper Oliver Dovin forced off during the first half because of a knee injury.
The shot-stopping Swede is expected to be sidelined for the remainder of the campaign, meaning that Bradley Collins and Ben Wilson will fight it out for a spot in between the sticks.
Rudoni’s return from a dislocated shoulder has represented a major boost for the Sky Blues in recent times, although Lampard’s troops are still fighting on without the talents of fellow attacker Brandon Thomas-Asante (groin).
Burnley midfielder Aaron Ramsey is back in training following a long-term knee injury, although it remains to be seen whether the 22-year-old features this season.
The usual absentees remain for the Clarets, including Mike Tresor and Jordan Beyer, with both failing to play a part in the Championship to date.
Coventry City possible starting lineup:
Collins; Van Ewijk, Thomas, Binks, Bidwell; Grimes, Allen, Sakamoto, Rudoni, Mason-Clark; Wright
Burnley possible starting lineup:
Trafford; Roberts, Egan-Riley, Esteve, Pires; Cullen, Laurent, Edwards, Brownhill, Anthony; Flemming
We say: Coventry City 1-1 Burnley
After consecutive away defeats in March, Coventry are back at their East Midlands home, where they have only lost once in the Championship since Lampard’s appointment in November.
However, Burnley will be on hand to provide one of the sternest second-tier tests possible to the Sky Blues, who would be pleased to force a share of the spoils.
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