Looking to go two better than their FA Cup adventure last season, Coventry City will welcome Championship counterparts Sheffield Wednesday to The Coventry Building Society Arena on Saturday evening.
The Sky Blues have made a mixed start to life under the stewardship of Frank Lampard, whilst the Owls are battling away in the second tier with highly-regarded Danny Rohl at the helm.
Match preview
Since the arrival of former Chelsea and Everton boss Lampard at the conclusion of November, Coventry City have endured a mixed run of form in the Championship, winning three, drawing three and losing three of their last nine matches, hinting at a season of mid-table mediocrity in the Midlands.
The Sky Blues have threatened to charge towards the playoffs after positive results during the festive period, but a heartbreaking setback always seems to be around the corner, as was the case last Saturday, when two added-time goals from Amankwah Forson snatched all three points for Norwich City at Carrow Road.
Victorious in just one of their last five second-tier contests, Coventry are languishing down in 16th place in the Championship standings ahead of this weekend's FA Cup break, six points above the relegation zone and a mammoth 11 points back from West Bromwich Albion in sixth.
Although the CBS Arena has failed to be a formidable fortress overall this term for the Sky Blues, Saturday's hosts have fared better in front of their own supporters since the appointment of Lampard in November, with Coventry unbeaten across four league matches at their Midlands base.
Coventry were the standout side from outside the Premier League during the 2023-24 edition of the FA Cup, navigating their way to a Wembley appearance against Erik ten Hag's Manchester United, who needed penalty kicks to knock the Sky Blues out of the competition at the semi-final stage.
Escaping the pain of relegation to League One by just three points during their maiden term back at Championship level during 2023-24, Sheffield Wednesday are on a mission to compete at the top of the division this time around, with their festive results propelling them towards the playoffs.
A 3-1 defeat at the Deepdale home of Preston North End was admittedly a poor way to conclude 2024, but since the Owls have returned to a positive run of form, smashing Derby County 4-2 at Hillsborough on New Year's Day before sharing the spoils with Millwall in Yorkshire three days later.
After collecting a respectable tally of four points from their opening pair of second-tier matches in 2025, Sheffield Wednesday currently occupy 10th place in the Championship table, just three points behind managerless West Brom who are guarding entry to the top six.
A key figure for the Owls since the turn of the decade, Josh Windass is having a sensational campaign for Rohl's side so far, scoring 10 goals and providing two assists across 24 Championship appearances, with the midfielder's performances reportedly capturing the attention of Brazilian giants Santos.
There was little South American flair on offer when Coventry and Sheffield Wednesday met in the FA Cup at the fourth-round stage last season, although former Sky Blue Callum O'Hare put on a masterclass in the replay, bagging a brace as the Owls were dumped out at the CBS Arena courtesy of a 4-1 defeat.
Team News
Coventry are fully expecting to be without the services of midfielder Ben Sheaf, who suffered a calf strain during the loss at Norwich last time out.
As a result, the Sky Blues are likely to employ a new-look engine room this weekend, with the likes of Victor Torp and Jamie Allen primed for starts.
Lampard's troops are still short of dangerous options in attack, with both leading marksman Haji Wright (leg) and summer arrival Ephron Mason-Clark (hamstring) sidelined.
Sheffield Wednesday suffered their own injury blow during the latest round of Championship action, with defender Dominic Iorfa scheduled to be sidelined for many weeks owing to a hamstring problem.
There is better news in the Owls squad in the form of right-back Yan Valery, who has trained all week following a cautionary substitution last time out.
Coventry City possible starting lineup:
Dovin; Van Ewijk, Kitching, Thomas, Dasilva; Torp, Eccles, Allen, Tavares, Thomas-Asante; Simms
Sheffield Wednesday possible starting lineup:
Beadle; Valery, Otegbayo, Bernard, Lowe; Charles, Bannan, Smith, Lowe, Windass; Ugbo
We say: Coventry City 2-1 Sheffield Wednesday
With a number of injuries to key attackers, it could be a grind for Coventry this weekend as they look to book a spot in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
We are expecting a drop in performance levels from Sheffield Wednesday with alterations to their XI expected, a decision from Rohl that will likely lead to defeat on the road.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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