PREVIEW: COVENTRY

Sunderland host Coventry City in the most important home match of the season. We go into the game with a narrow one goal advantage, having won 2-1 in the reverse leg. That came off the back of a good defensive performance and two well taken goals on the counter, the home side having dominated with 75% of the possession but with little end product.

FORM

Neither side went into the first leg in fantastic form, in the four games prior to the first game Coventry had lost two and won two. Those two defeats came away from home to two teams who eventually went down, Luton Town and Plymouth Argyle. That will be causing some nerves in the Coventry camp no doubt. Coventry picked up just 24 points from away matches this season (compared to our 33), so it always felt like it was very important for them to have an advantage going into this one. They can be encouraged by the fact that their two wins came versus West Brom and Middlesbrough, the latter confirming their play off spot on the final day, two teams who finished in the top half of the table. Jack Rudoni has been on fire in front of goal recently, in their last five he’s scored four. One of those was an equaliser against us of course.

Meanwhile, our form had been pretty dire in the leadup to our trip to the Coventry Building Society Arena. We’d lost all four and only scored one and not played well really. As Friday night proved though, form clearly doesn’t apply so much when it comes to the playoffs. Our home record, before we made the top six a mathematical certainty, had seen just one defeat. Since then, with us on the beach, we’ve lost another three games. It looks like we are back to our best though and our home results before April look to be what we should base our expectations on moreso, and we won for the first time away from home against Coventry in 40 years so there are reasons for cautious optimism. Of course, it’s the playoffs and anything can happen however. Eliezer Mayenda has been our best goalscorer recently, netting two in the last five. That includes his goal away to our opponents in the opening leg. Should we win on the night, it will be our first win on home soil versus the Sky Blues in 18 years.

INJURIES/SUSPENSIONS

Neither team has any active suspensions. For City, they have three players injured. They are striker Norman Bassette, goalkeeper Oliver Dovin and central midfielder Victor Torp.

For us, Aji Alese, Ian Poveda, Jayden Danns and Niall Huggins all remain sidelined. In hugely beneficial news however, Romaine Mundle is set to return to the matchday squad for this one.

PREDICTION

Predicting a win for these types of games is always a huge risk, it can make you look overly optimistic if you do end up not going through. I am going to say we will win however. I’m going to say it’ll be another 2-1, with us getting an early goal before Coventry hit us back and make it nervy before we hit them on the break late on to secure a spot at Wembley. I want to make it absolutely clear though, this is by no means something I think is a certainty. You have to be optimistic in a non obnoxious way I feel, especially with it being a sold out crowd and everyone coming together before (and during) the match to create a good atmosphere. Haway the Lads.