Table-topping Coventry City are hoping to take another step towards a return to the Premier League against Sheffield Wednesday this weekend - but will attempt to do so without a regular thorn in the Owls’ side.
Frank Lampard’s side have overcome a mid-season wobble to steam into a dominant lead at the top of the Championship, winning eight of their last 10 matches with just one defeat in that time. Long-relegated Wednesday sit at the bottom of just about every meaningful metric and are looking to upset the nation’s accumulator bets to chip away at the five points they need to reach the zero point tally.
A threadbare Owls squad looks in reasonable nick in relative terms, with manager Henrik Pedersen reporting no fresh injury concerns and the recoveries of senior men Liam Palmer, Max Lowe and Nathaniel Chalobah from the battles of the Easter fixture turnaround.
While they will be able to consider fit-again pair Bobby Thomas and Brandon Thomas-Asante, Coventry look likely to be without winger Tatsuhiro Sakamoto. The Japanese has been a tormentor of Wednesday in seasons gone by, scoring three times in his combined 283 minutes of playing time against them. They have plenty of others to choose from, but he’s a doubt having picked up a rib injury in the Sky Blues’ goalless draw with Hull City on Monday.
Read More
Speaking ahead of the clash, Coventry manager Frank Lampard became the latest Championship boss to make clear his side won’t be taking Wednesday lightly - despite the look of the league table and the obvious gulf in quality expected.
“This game isn’t going to be all our own way just because of their league position,” Lampard said. “If we can do our thing then we can make the game feel like we want it to, but they are not coming here with any passive nature, from what I have seen of them.
“We’re just focused and it’s been a good experience for me this week to watch a lot of Sheffield Wednesday because we’ve had a bit of a run into this game and you could easily be drawn to the fact that they’re not winning so many games and it’s a tough situation around a football club.
“What has really impressed me watching them is how they’re going, how the manager is keeping his energy, how the team are running and fighting for him regardless of results. So I just want to say it out loud, because I think that’s credit to them, but also for us and our fans and everybody how we approach this game.
“Don’t expect Sheffield Wednesday to come and roll over or sit in a low block. They can be aggressive off the ball, they can have transitions in the game. They’ve got some good players who’ve been around the league. So absolutely, we focus on the game because it’s only going to be a good one for us if we take it by a scruff of the neck, so that’s what we need to do.”
Continue Reading