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

Table-toppers Coventry City welcome Swansea City to the Coventry Building Society Arena on Boxing Day, as the Championship leaders look to reassert their authority at the top of the Championship tree.

Frank Lampard’s stuttering side face a potentially awkward test against a Swansea outfit enjoying a resurgence under new head coach Vítor Matos.

Match preview

Coventry sit six points clear at the top of the second tier but have seen their form take somewhat of a nosedive in recent weeks, picking up just five points from their last four league outings.

The Sky Blues were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw away at Southampton last time out, clinging on for a point after Jay Dasilva’s dismissal left them a man short for much of the second half.

Despite some mid-season turbulence, Coventry’s overall campaign has been hugely impressive, responding emphatically to last season’s playoff heartbreak against Sunderland by scoring a remarkable 53 goals already.

Home form has been a cornerstone of their title push, with Lampard’s men unbeaten at the CBS Arena all season, turning the ground into a fortress since their playoff semi-final defeat.

Swansea, meanwhile, arrive buoyed by a marked improvement in results following the departure of Alan Sheehan and the appointment of Matos.

The Welsh side have won three of their last four matches, with their new man at the helm steadying the ship after a rocky start to the campaign.

That revival continued last time out with a 2-1 victory over native rivals Wrexham, a result that handed them the national bragging rights and further boosted their upturn in form.

However, Coventry will draw encouragement from their recent record in this fixture, having claimed a 2-0 win in the most recent meeting, their first league victory over Swansea in 16 attempts.

Coventry City Championship form:

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Swansea City Championship form:

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Team News

The hosts will be without Dasilva, who will serve the first game of his three-match suspension, after seeing red at St Mary’s last Saturday.

Bobby Thomas, Liam Kitching and Tatsuhiro Sakamoto are all expected to return, having missed out against Southampton due to illness.

Goalkeeper Oliver Dovin is the only occupant in Coventry’s treatment room, as he recovers from a cruciate ligament tear he sustained last season.

As for the visitors, Ricardo Santos (hip) and Manuel Benson, who is away at the Africa Cup of Nations with Angola, will both be absent for their Boxing Day trip.

Forward Zan Vipotnik, who was on the scoresheet against Wrexham, will be hoping he can reach the milestone that is 10 goals, having netted nine in 20 league appearances so far this campaign.

Coventry City possible starting lineup:

Rushworth; Van Ewijk, Thomas, Kitching, Woolfenden; Torp, Grimes; Sakamoto, Rudoni, Mason-Clark; Wright

Swansea City possible starting lineup:

Vigouroux; Key, Cabango, Burgess, Tymon; Galbraith, Franco; Ronald, Widell, Eom; Vipotnik

We say: Coventry City 2-1 Swansea City

High-flying Coventry’s strong home form and division-leading attacking output should give them the edge, even if their recent results suggest a tighter contest than expected. That said, Swansea’s revival under Matos certainly gives this game all the prospective hallmarks of a Christmas cracker, but the Sky Blues’ consistency at the CBS Arena is likely to prove decisive.

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