The joys of the fixture calendar means there is always one team that you face twice in quick succession around the Christmas period. It’s been Leicester previously, but it is the turn of Frank Lampard’s Coventry this time around.

The wheels haven’t quite come off, but the Sky Blues are definitely going through a blip with just two wins in their last five games.

Last time out (Ipswich 3 – 0 Coventry)

One of the most complete performances of the season saw Town run out as comfortable 3-0 winners. A fairly even first half saw Coventry have the best chance of the game in the 25th minute as Kane Kesler-Hayden got himself free in the box but headed wide.

Christian Walton was then called into action with a superb save to tip a goal-bound shot from Josh Eccles onto the post before denying Ephron Mason-Clark with a more routine stop.

Despite those chances, it was Town who broke the deadlock in the 43rd minute. Azor Matusiwa slipped in Jaden Philogene down the left and his low ball across the box narrowly missed both George Hirst and Cedric Kipre before falling to Dara O’Shea. He laid it back to Sindre Walle Egeli, who could have opted to shoot but instead played a strong pass to Leif Davis, who was overlapping on the right. Davis somehow kept it in with his weaker right foot, but it looped all the way back to Philogene on the other side.

Town’s top goalscorer was composed in possession and laid it off to Walle-Egeli, who was lurking on the edge of the box to calmly sweep into the side netting past the diving Carl Rushworth.

The Blues started the second half, the strongest with Kipre showing his strength and compsure to muscle off a challenge and send Hirst through on goal only for the Scotland international to place his one-on-one chance way too close to Rushworth.

Hirst got another opportunity not long after that as on 59 minutes O’Shea stooped to head away a Jack Rudoni cross. The ball landed at the feet of Marcelino Nunez, who took a couple of touches and scooped a ball over the top of a high Coventry defence to present Hirst with another one-on-one. This time he easily outpaced Liam Kitching and calmly slotted past Rushworth.

Coventry had another couple of half chances and Walton was called into action to make another superb diving save to deny Rudoni before Town sealed the win.

Substitue Jack Clarke picked up the ball in his own half, skipped past Matt Grimes and slid in Ivan Azon, who had pulled off to the left. Azon tried to square to Sam Szmodics, but the ball fell kindly from Kitching’s block back to the Spaniard, who finished expertly to make it 3-0.

The Data

Coventry are a team that are comfortable with the ball at their feet. They’re not a possession-dominant team, ranking 11th in the league for successful passes but when they are on the ball they look to play passes into dangerous areas and sit top of the charts for xt (expected threat) generated from passes.

They’ve played 235 Key Passes, only Town’s 241 is higher, and they turn that into shots. They have the highest volume of shots and shots on target in the league. 34% of their shots hit the target which is joint fourth highest.

All of this means they have the highest xG difference in the league as well as the highest actual goal difference of 28 goals. The 12 headed goals they’ve scored is the highest in the league, showing that they present an aerial threat and they’ve also hit the woodwork nine times.

Where they’re weaker is in their off the ball work. They’re not an aggressive pressing team, their PPDA (Passes per Defensive action) is 8.32 and they have low numbers of interceptions, ball recoveries and ball wins in the defensive third.

Players to Watch

Matt Grimes

Coventry City’s pass-master was limited in the reverse fixture but still managed to play three key passes and created one big chance. He’s second in the league behind Barry Bannan in terms of progressive passes and has 1,338 successful passes with only Christoph Klarer having made more. Keeping him off of the ball as much as possible with be critical once again.

Carl Rushworth

Rushworth currently tops the league for clean sheets with eight to his name. His 67 saves are second highest in the league, and he boasts an impressive 4.78 goals prevented.

Ephron Mason-Clark

Coventry have a ton of attacking talent but Mason-Clark is the man who is currently on a hot streak with goals against Bristol City, Southampton and Swansea taking his seasons tally to six.

With Haji Wright coming back to fitness and Brandon Thomas-Asante still out injured, his goalscoring run has come at a good time for the Sky Blues. His goal secured the three points last time out in a 1-0 victory against Swansea.

The Teams

With Bobby Thomas injured, and Jay Da Silva suspended, Luke Woolfenden and Jake Bidwell have been the preferred replacements so far, but Joel Latibeaudiere is now also fit and has featured on the bench. Victor Torp is back in midfield and Haji Wright and Tatsuhiro Sakamoto have also started to feature again.

This will be a stronger Coventry side than the one faced at Portman Road.

For Town, I don’t see wholesale changes coming. Sindre Walle Egeli probably rotates back in for Kasey McAteer and this game would look to suit Jack Taylor more than Jens Cajuste in the centre of the pitch

Prediction

The 3-0 scoreline at Portman Road flattered to deceive. Coventry had chances and it was definitely a game that could have gone either way.

Coventry’s injury crisis has abated so they will have a stronger first-choice XI as well as a stronger squad available. Town haven’t been great away from home this season and I think a tight 1-0 defeat may be on the cards.

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