On the cusp of breaking into the top six of the Championship following a remarkable second-tier ascent, Coventry City will lock horns with Preston North End at The Coventry Building Society Arena on Saturday afternoon.
The Sky Blues secured a last-gasp success at the base of fellow playoff hopefuls Sheffield Wednesday last weekend, whilst the Lilywhites were in league action at the beginning of this week versus Millwall at Deepdale.
Match preview
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At the beginning of November, long-serving head coach Mark Robins was dismissed at Coventry after seven excellent years of contribution in the East Midlands, with former Chelsea and Manchester City midfielder Frank Lampard taking control of the playing side at The CBS Arena just before the festive schedule.
The 46-year-old Englishman has taken the Sky Blues from the mediocrity of mid-table to the verge of breaking into the playoff spots in just over two months, with Saturday's hosts winning six of their last seven second-tier matches to prove themselves as genuine contenders for promotion.
Hardly a free-scoring outfit - especially without a number of their top attackers - Coventry scraped another maximum last Saturday from a real battle at Hillsborough, where a brilliant brace from ex-Sunderland loanee Ellis Simms secured all three points at the expense of Sheffield Wednesday.
Winning consecutive second-tier contests since exiting the FA Cup at the hands of Premier League Ipswich Town, Lampard's men have propelled themselves up to seventh spot in the Championship standings, just a single point and position behind West Bromwich Albion in the playoffs.
Taking his goal tally from four to six in Yorkshire last time with a double, former Everton marksman Simms has revealed that he had hoped to have netted more strikes by this stage of the term, with the 24-year-old scoring on 19 occasions for Coventry during the 2023-24 season.
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After nine mind-numbing years of mid-table finishes in the Championship, Preston are looking to make a real push for the playoffs during the closing months of this season under the stewardship of a manager who knows what it is like to earn promotion to the Premier League, with Paul Heckingbottom at the helm of Sheffield United during the 2022-23 campaign.
That being said, the 47-year-old is struggling to repeat the Bramall Lane trick at Deepdale so far, with the Lilywhites playing out their 15th draw of the second-tier term on Tuesday night, when a gutsy Millwall side travelled to Lancashire and forced a share of the spoils.
Winning just one of their latest quartet of second-tier contests, Preston are currently occupying 15th position in the Championship table ahead of this weekend's trip to the East Midlands, six points back from Tony Mowbray's Baggies, who are guarding entry to the top six.
Earning maximum points from only three of their 16 away outings in the league during 2024-25, Heckingbottom's troops are hardly formidable on the road, but their most recent outing ended in a standout triumph at Carrow Road, where a Milutin Osmajic strike was enough to defeat Norwich City.
The Montenegro international trails only Emil Riis Jakobsen in the race for the Golden Boot at Preston, with the towering Dane netting nine Championship goals this season as his time in Lancashire appears to be drawing to a close.
Team News
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Coventry are without the services of influential midfielder Ben Sheaf, who suffered a muscle injury at the beginning of the calendar year, failing to feature since.
The Sky Blues are also unable to call upon the talents of their leading marksman, with American striker Wright entering the final stages of his comeback from a leg problem.
A key asset for Preston in the middle of the park, Ben Whiteman has missed over a month of competitive action due to a niggling ankle issue.
Adapting to a defensive-midfield role for the Lilywhites, Stefan Thordarson has provided plenty of quality in the engine room alongside Alistair McCann.
There are a shortage of options for Saturday's visitors at the back, with both Jack Whatmough (calf) and Jordan Storey (leg) occupying spots in the medical room.
Coventry City possible starting lineup:
Dovin; Latibeaudiere, Thomas, Kitching; Van Ewijk, Eccles, Grimes, Dasilva, Rudoni; Thomas-Asante, Simms
Preston North End possible starting lineup:
Woodman; Porteous, Lindsay, Gibson, Brady; McCann, Thordarson, Kesler-Hayden, Greenwood, Potts; Jakobsen
We say: Coventry City 2-0 Preston North End
After the last-minute triumph at Sheffield Wednesday a week ago, Coventry will sense a brilliant opportunity to make it three wins on the spin as Preston come to The CBS Arena.
The Lilywhites were impressive on the road against Norwich earlier this month, but we feel that Heckingbottom's men will struggle away from Deepdale this time around.
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Carter White
