Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Championship match.
After the international break, Coventry City return in excellent spirits: they are five points clear at the top and are about to face mid-table West Bromwich Albion in this season’s campaign.
Coventry City
In the last round, Coventry City earned a strategically important 1:0 win over then-second-placed Stoke City. The gap to the latter is now seven points. Middlesbrough have taken over that position, but a five-point cushion is still better than four and certainly better than one. Coventry City’s win was secured by Ephron Mason-Clark, who scored in the 86th minute. Almost immediately afterwards he clashed heads with an opponent. There was a suspected concussion, but Frank Lampard is hopeful he will be available on Saturday. There are slightly more doubts over another key player, Jack Rudoni. The midfielder has been out since September, having picked up an injury after the sixth round against Leicester City. He is already back training on the pitch, and there is a strong chance he will be included in the matchday squad.
West Bromwich Albion
A return to action is also close for West Bromwich Albion centre-back George Campbell. The American missed the whole of November because of a groin injury. In those three rounds, the team did not concede many goals – just twice – but collected only four points. They failed to score against struggling Sheffield Wednesday (0:0) and also lost to ambitious newcomers Charlton Athletic (0:1). Only playing at home helped them overcome Oxford United (2:1) before the break. Manager Ryan Mason retains the board’s trust; after all, the play-off zone is only four points away.
Coventry City vs West Bromwich Albion Prediction
However, West Bromwich Albion are unlikely to get any closer to it here. As we can see, they have problems with finishing, while Coventry City are very hard to score against: the hosts have allowed the third-fewest chances in the league (16.43 xGA) and have conceded even fewer goals (13). Haji Wright and Brandon Thomas-Asante have already scored 18 goals between them (10+8) and are among the top three scorers in the Championship, so the visitors have virtually no chance of taking any points.
