Coventry City have been tipped to fall further behind in the race for the play-offs ahead of tonight’s crucial Championship fixture with West Bromwich Albion.
It’s been a topsy-turvy campaign for the Sky Blues thus far. After falling at the last hurdle last season with a defeat against Luton Town in the play-off final, they started slowly in their bid to go one better, winning just three of their opening 16 fixtures.
Languishing near the relegation places, form improved towards the end of 2023, culminating in an impressive 3-1 victory over league leaders Leicester City in January. This saw Mark Robins’ side move into the top six, although two wins in five during February has seen them slip back into ninth.
The fight to secure a place in the play-offs has been a fascinating one. So far, the likes of Hull City, Norwich City, Preston North End and Sunderland have all staked their claims, although a gap is starting to open up.
Hull currently occupy that all-important sixth spot, three points above Norwich in seventh. Coventry sit a point further back and face another team hopeful of earning a shot at promotion tonight in West Brom. The Baggies are fifth and look good value for their position, despite stuttering themselves in recent weeks.
With Norwich hosting Sunderland tomorrow and Hull travelling to Preston, tonight represents an opportunity for Coventry to close the gap once again. However, Sky Sports journalist David Prutton believes they will fall short, despite their morale-boosting win over Maidstone in the FA Cup earlier this week. Writing in his weekly column, the ex-Sheffield Wednesday midfielder said:
“West Brom have given themselves a little bit of a gap over the chasing pack in the play-off race, and this is a great chance on Friday night to extend that and put themselves in a really strong position.
“Coventry were stunned at home by Preston last time out in the Championship, but they brushed that off quickly with a win over Maidstone in the FA Cup. They cannot really afford a defeat here if they do not want to fall further away from the top six, but I don’t think they will win either.”
Prutton has opted for a 1-1 draw at The Hawthorns which, coupled with his predictions that Norwich and Hull will both secure important victories, would see the 1987 FA Cup winners fall six points off the top six.
Writer’s View
It looked as if a number of teams would be in with a shout of reaching the play-offs as recently as a fortnight ago. However, form has seen a number start to slip and Coventry are in danger of becoming one of them.
A win tonight against a West Brom team which looks good value to finish in the top six would provide a huge boost and keep them in contention as we reach the business end of the season. This round of fixtures sees sixth meet eighth and seventh host tenth, so it is imperative that the Sky Blues gain the three points.
Head of Writing
