Preview: Coventry City vs Southampton - prediction, team news, lineups

Coventry City play host to Southampton on Saturday afternoon looking for the victory that would strengthen their hold of top spot in the Championship table.

At a time when the Sky Blues sit eight points clear of the chasing pack, the Saints are in seventh and closing on the playoff places.

Match preview

While Frank Lampard has encouraged the Coventry fans to dream of a return to the Premier League, the Sky Blues boss is very much focused on getting his team over the line.

A three-match winless streak has been followed by six victories in succession, the latest of which was a 3-0 triumph over Preston North End on Wednesday night.

Most notably, it was the first time since October that Coventry have recorded back-to-back clean sheets, a statistic that emphasises their reliance on an attack that has delivered 77 goals, 13 more than any other team.

As it stands, Coventry's home form is making the difference. A total of 14 wins, one defeat and 45 points have been posted from their 18 matches at the CBS Arena.

Coventry have also scored at least twice in their last six games, helping them establish an eight-point advantage over second-placed Middlesbrough and nine in front of Millwall in third position.

However, next up for the title favourites is a game against opponents in Southampton who are unbeaten in 11 matches in all competitions.

As well as reaching the FA Cup quarter-finals, the Saints have put together a nine-game streak in the second tier which has delivered 21 points.

Although there was frustration with a 1-1 draw at lowly West Bromwich Albion on Wednesday night, positives can be taken from their 91st-minute equaliser at The Hawthorns.

With 10 matches remaining, Southampton are three points adrift of the playoffs, but Tonda Eckert will not have ruled out closing the nine-point gap to fifth-placed Hull City when they still hold a game in hand.

Despite a five-match unbeaten streak on their travels in the Championship, Southampton have still lost more games (seven) than they have won (six) across 19 such matches.

Coventry City Championship form:

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Southampton Championship form:

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Southampton form (all competitions):

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Team News

Having been rested for the Preston game, Haji Wright is expected to lead the Coventry attack on Saturday.

Joel Latibeaudiere, after a one-match ban, and Victor Torp may also return, but Lampard was able to rest players during the second half on Wednesday night.

However, Bobby Thomas and Jack Rudoni will both remain sidelined through injury.

Tom Fellows could return to the Southampton XI after replacing the injured Leo Scienza in the first half at West Brom.

Cyle Larin may be rewarded for his late goal at The Hawthorns with a start over Ross Stewart, but the rest of the starting lineup could stay the same.

Coventry City possible starting lineup:

Rushworth; Van Ewijk, Woolfenden, Kitching, Dasilva; Onyeka, Grimes; Sakamoto, Thomas-Asante, Mason-Clark; Wright

Southampton possible starting lineup:

Peretz; Bree, Harwood-Bellis, Stephens, Manning; Downes, Charles; Matsuki, Azaz, Fellows; Larin

We say: Coventry City 2-1 Southampton

Despite their respective results earlier this week, this has all the makings of a competitive contest, particularly when the stakes are rising for both clubs. However, we cannot back against Coventry at their home ground, leading us to predict a narrow win that may be earned during the closing stages.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.