Sports Mole previews Tuesday’s Championship clash between Coventry City and Blackburn Rovers, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Underachieving Coventry City host overachieving Blackburn Rovers in an intriguing Championship clash on Tuesday night.
Last season, Coventry were in the playoff hunt while Blackburn lingered near the relegation zone, but this time around the tables have turned, with the visitors having an excellent season so far.
Match preview
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After making a relatively promising start, with two EFL Cup wins, and taking four points from their opening three games, Coventry’s season is rapidly falling apart already.
Many tipped the Sky Blues to be in playoff contention again after falling short last season, but a relegation battle looks more likely than that for Mark Robins‘s side at present.
With just one point in four games, and a late collapse against Tottenham Hotspur in the cup, it has been a dismal month for Coventry, rounded off with a 3-0 defeat at Leeds United on Saturday.
Returning to home soil may not be the catalyst behind an upturn in form either, as Coventry have lost five of their last six games here – as many as they had lost in the previous 37.
Only goal difference is keeping Coventry out of the bottom three at present, as they sit in 21st on just five points.
The opposite is true about Blackburn, who are having an excellent start, with manager John Eustace impressing after his first preseason with the team.
A 19th-placed finish last season was way below expectation, but they have gone above and beyond so far, sitting in third, only one point off the Championship summit.
An unbeaten start has seen Blackburn win all four home games at Ewood Park, and draw all three matches on the road so far.
Another level contest here would see Blackburn become just the eighth second-tier club in history to draw their first four away games of a season, but Eustace may have his eyes set on a win given Coventry’s shaky home form.
They come into the weekend with confidence too after recording a 2-0 win over Queen’s Park Rangers at the weekend, with Lewis Travis and Danny Batth scoring the second half goals that secured three points.
Coventry City Championship form:
Coventry City form (all competitions):
Blackburn Rovers Championship form:
Blackburn Rovers form (all competitions):
Team News
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Coventry will be without Jamie Allen due to a leg injury here, and the home support are still waiting on the debut of Aussie Raphael Borges Rodrigues, who has been out with a similar issue since signing from Macarthur FC.
Haji Wright netted 19 goals in his debut season in English football last year, but is struggling to nail down a permanent spot in the side, and was dropped again at the weekend, despite being the only player to score more than one goal for Coventry this campaign.
Blackburn will be without Owen Beck once more, as the Liverpool loanee serves the second of his three-match suspension following the late altercation with Milutin Osmajic in the derby with Preston just over a week ago.
Scott Wharton will not return until the new year due to an ACL injury, but Callum Brittain, Zak Gilsenan and Harry Leonard are all much closer, and could be back after the October international break.
Coventry City possible starting lineup:
Wilson; Van Ewijk, Latibeaudiere, Thomas, Kitching, Dasilva; Sheaf, Rudoni, Eccles; Wright, Mason-Clark
Blackburn Rovers possible starting lineup:
Pears; Carter, Batth, Pickering, Hyam; Tronstad, Travis, Dolan; Hedges, Ohashi, Weimann
We say: Coventry City 1-1 Blackburn Rovers
The league table and form suggests Blackburn should be favourites for this one, but even though Coventry have had a tough time of it this season, specifically at home, Blackburn should not expect an easy encounter.
Blackburn are yet to win a league game on the road this season, drawing all three, and another could be in store here, especially if Coventry can unlock the undoubted quality they have in their ranks.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.