Coventry City take on Sunderland in the first leg of their Championship play-off semi-final this week, live on talkSPORT.
The Sky Blues have been one of the best teams in the second division since Frank Lampard replaced Mark Robins, and the Black Cats stand between them and a place at Wembley.
Lampard has enjoyed an excellent time at Coventry so farGettyCoventry have won 16 of the 29 league games they’ve played under Lampard and will want to take a healthy lead to the North East for the second leg.
Meanwhile, Regis Le Bris’ side have known they would be in the play-offs for weeks.
However, their form has dropped off a cliff in the closing parts of the season, losing five in a row and picking up one win in seven.
Coventry vs Sunderland: Strange decisions
Once it was nailed on that Sunderland would be in the play-offs and couldn’t be promoted automatically, Le Bris decided to start rotating the team.
This meant that a lot of the regular starters were given rests ahead of the play-offs.
Undoubtedly, this has contributed to their dramatic loss of form in April.
It will be justified if Sunderland beat Coventry and also are successful in the play-off final.
However, should they not be promoted, questions will be asked over why the manager decided to change his team so much.
Jobe Bellingham is one of a few Sunderland players who have been given time off in recent weeksGetty Coventry City are unbeaten across their last 10 league games against Sunderland (W5 D5), since a 2-0 defeat in February 2007. Sunderland are winless across each of their last 13 away games against Coventry City in all competitions (D5 L8), since a 1-0 victory at Highfield Road in the top-flight in April 1985, while they’ve failed to score in three of their last four visits. Coventry have won seven of their last eight home league games (L1), including a 3-0 win over Sunderland. Since Frank Lampard’s first game in charge of the club in late November, only Leeds United and Bristol City (both 36) have picked up more points at home in the Championship than the Sky Blues (35).Coventry vs Sunderland: Team news
The hosts are without their first-choice goalkeeper Oliver Dovin, so Ben Wilson is likely to start.
Ephron Mason-Clarke and Norman Bassette are also injured.
Victor Torp has an ankle problem, and he will be watching from the sidelines.
Meanwhile, Sunderland are without Romain Mundle and Ian Poveda.
Jayden Danns has yet to play for the club since joining them on loan from Liverpool in January due to a back issue.
Coventry secured their spot in the play-offs with a win over Middlesbrough on the final dayGetty Sunderland have lost each of their last five Championship games in succession, while scoring just one goal across their last six league games. Indeed, it’s their longest losing streak in the league since March 2024 (6 games). Coventry have previously featured in the EFL play-offs twice, in 2017-18 in League Two and 2022-23 in the Championship. Across their six matches in total, the Sky Blues remain unbeaten (W3 D3), failing to earn promotion to the Premier League in the 2022-23 Championship play-off final on penalties against Luton Town. This will be the ninth time that Sunderland have ended the season in the EFL play-offs, doing so in four of their last five league campaigns. Across their prior eight semi-final ties, the Black Cats have won just one of their eight away legs (D2 L5), a 2-0 victory over Newcastle United in 1989-90.Coventry vs Sunderland: What has been said?
Coventry owner Doug King has praised Lampard’s work as manager.
Speaking to talkSPORT, he said: “I think he went very quickly after finishing a long career into management.
“To get Derby where he got them was a pretty epic achievement, that game to win the semi-final of the playoffs away at Leeds, and then he was thrust into the big time at a big club, lots going on, that’s quite wild for your first goes into management and then obviously off to Everton back to Chelsea.
“For me, it was a very whirlwind, and I think probably that makes you learn many things and how you might do things differently and a bit of a break to reassess it all.
“I like successful people, but I like successful people to have some knocks and some failures because they learn and they do things differently and they mature and I just felt when I met him, he was putting himself back out again, into the arena, and I think he doesn’t need to financially.
“But he wanted it and he has a point to prove, and I think he’s proving it.”
Since the start of 2025, only three players have been involved in more Championship goals than Coventry City’s Jack Rudoni (12 – 6 goals, 6 assists), while overall this season, only Manor Solomon (37) won possession in the final third more often in the regular season than Rudoni’s 34 times. Only Borja Sainz (99) and Mikey Johnston (76) completed more take-ons in the Championship this season than Sunderland’s Patrick Roberts (71), while teammate Wilson Isidor has the most goals (4) and highest xG following a take-on (2.43) of any Championship player this season.Coventry vs Sunderland: Date and how to follow
This Championship play-off semi-final first leg is set to take place on Friday, May 9.
Kick-off at the Coventry Building Society Arena is scheduled for 8pm.
talkSPORT will have live coverage from the Midlands, with Hugh Woozencroft serving as your presenter.
Commentary will then come from Jim Proudfoot and former West Ham striker Dean Ashton.
To tune in to talkSPORT through the website, click HERE for the live stream.
You can also listen via the talkSPORT app, on DAB digital radio, through your smart speaker and on 1089 or 1053 AM.
talkSPORT.com will also have all the reaction.
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