Preview: Rotherham United vs. Coventry City - prediction, team news, lineups

Rotherham United and Coventry City square off at the New York Stadium in need of kick-starting their respective Championship campaigns.

At a time when the home side sit six points adrift of safety, the visitors have recently dropped down to 15th position in the standings.

Match preview

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While Rotherham were one of the pre-season favourites to be relegated, Matt Taylor would have expected more from his side at this stage of the season.

Although they recorded a 1-1 draw at Southampton last time out, he would not have anticipated a six-point gap separating them to 21st position.

Their situation was not aided by the late postponement of their fixture with Ipswich Town on Friday, a consequence of the waterlogged pitch brought on by Storm Babet.

The Millers will have been without a competitive fixture for 18 days when they take to the pitch on Wednesday night, with the benefits of rest being cancelled out by being without match sharpness.

Nevertheless, having recorded just five points from as many matches at their home ground, Rotherham need a way to boost their season, one which will drag on if they become further separated from safety.

From Coventry's perspective, a positive spin could have been put on their campaign before they made the trip to face Bristol City at the weekend.

A 1-0 defeat to the Robins puts things in a different light, with Coventry having now won just three of their 12 fixtures in the second tier during 2023-24.

While they had been on a four-game undefeated streak ahead of the visit to Ashton Gate, Mark Robins's side had recorded draws in over half of their matches.

Given the poor form of the bottom three, Coventry remain seven points clear of the relegation zone, but ensuring that they do not fall any more than four points behind the playoff spots - as they are now - is their priority heading into a fixture that they will expect to win.

Team News

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Having had over two weeks to shake off calf issues, Fred Onyedinma will hope to retain his place in the Rotherham XI.

Jordan Hugill appears likely to be recalled to the team having scored the equaliser at St Mary's, with Sam Nombe in line to drop to the substitutes' bench.

After having longer to recover from representing Jamaica over the international break, Dexter Lembikisa is expected to feature at right-back.

Robins will freshen up his Coventry side after they drew a blank against Bristol City, Haji Wright potentially returning in place of Ellis Simms.

Yasin Ayari will also expect to return in a creative-midfield role, while Jamie Allen could come back into contention after a minor calf issue.

Rotherham United possible starting lineup:

Johansson; Lembikisa, Peltier, Hall, Bramall; Onyedinma, Tiehi, Cafu, Rathbone, Green; Hugill

Coventry City possible starting lineup:

Wilson; Thomas, McFadzean, Binks; Van Ewijk, Eccles, Sheaf, Dasilva; Ayari; Godden, Wright

We say: Rotherham United 1-2 Coventry City

For different reasons, this feels like a key contest for both sides if they are to give themselves every chance of realising their ambitions for the season. Although Rotherham may have more in the tank and are confident on the back of their draw with Southampton, we feel that Coventry's superior quality will shine through in the closing stages.

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