Frank Lampard faces up to Premier League opposition once again on Saturday afternoon, as his Coventry City side host Ipswich Town in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
The second-tier hosts edged out Sheffield Wednesday on penalties last time out to make it this far, whereas the Tractor Boys put three past Bristol Rovers without reply in round three.
Match preview
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Having already experienced one devastating dose of penalty-shootout pain in the FA Cup over the past 12 months - see their heartbreaking semi-final defeat to holders Manchester United in 2024 - Coventry ensured that spot kicks would not be their downfall once again in this season's opener.
After only being denied victory against Sheffield Wednesday by an Anthony Musaba leveller three minutes into second-half added time, Lampard's men prevailed 4-3 from 12 yards as Wednesday duo Jamal Lowe and Olaf Kobacki - whose effort was stopped by Oliver Dovin - fluffed their lines.
That gritty triumph was the catalyst for a magical run for Coventry, who won each of their subsequent four Championship contests to position themselves within touching distance of the playoff spots, but Wednesday's visit of leaders Leeds United was a reality check.
First-half strikes from Joel Piroe and Jayden Bogle mean that Lampard's men remain entrenched in mid-table in 11th place, only three points below West Bromwich Albion in the final playoff spot, albeit with the caveat of playing one more game than the five teams above them.
The 2-0 loss to the Whites marked the first time in 2025 that Lampard's men failed to find the back of the net, and another scoreless outing could lead to an unprecedented FA Cup feat, as Coventry could now become the first team ever in the competition to have three consecutive matches go to a penalty shootout.
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In contrast, upcoming visitors Ipswich unsurprisingly did not need the lottery of spot kicks to ease past League One outfit Bristol Rovers at Portman Road, where Kalvin Phillips, Jack Clarke and Jack Taylor put the Pirates to the sword before the half-time whistle blew.
Now aiming to end an 18-year absence from the fifth round of the FA Cup - last making it that far in 2007 - Ipswich have both historical and recent wrongs to right on Saturday, having memorably suffered an embarrassing elimination at the hands of fourth-tier Maidstone United last year.
The Tractor Boys' bid to avoid another exit to lower-league opposition has not gathered momentum in the slightest; since sending Bristol Rovers packing, they have been beaten in each of their last four Premier League matches, conceding multiple goals each time and only finding the back of the net twice.
Kieran McKenna's men were the victims of Southampton's first Premier League away win of the season last weekend, succumbing to a late Paul Onuachu winner that left them three points adrift of safety in the top flight, where their next three fixtures are daunting dates with Aston Villa (February 15), Tottenham Hotspur (February 22) and Manchester United (February 26).
However, relegation fears take a backseat for the time being as Ipswich aim to replicate last season's Championship double over Coventry - triumphing 2-1 on both occasions - but the most recent FA Cup head-to-head in December 2019 went the way of the Sky Blues.
Team News
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Following a serious muscle injury to midfielder Ben Sheaf, Coventry reinforced their engine room in January with the acquisition of Matt Grimes, but the former Swansea City skipper is cup-tied this weekend.
Grimes and Sheaf - who is facing at least another couple of weeks in the treatment room - are joined on the sidelines by Haji Wright (knock) and Ephron Mason-Clark (hamstring), but Brandon Thomas-Asante's half-time substitution on Wednesday did not appear to be injury-related.
Tatsuhiro Sakamoto was summoned to replace Thomas-Asante against Leeds, but Norman Bassette - scorer of the winning spot kick in the third-round success over Sheffield Wednesday - is another alternative option to partner Ellis Simms up front.
Ipswich cannot call upon one of their January arrivals either - Julio Enciso represented Brighton & Hove Albion earlier in the tournament - but Jaden Philogene and new goalkeeper Alex Palmer are both fine to feature.
The latter will surely come into consideration for his Tractor Boys debut on Saturday, as Christian Walton is facing a few weeks out with an unspecified injury, and the error-strewn Arijanet Muric put in another suspect performance in his place against Southampton.
The visitors are also missing Sammie Szmodics (ankle), Conor Chaplin (knee), Chiedozie Ogbene (Achilles) and Wes Burns (knee), the latter two of whom are expected to miss the rest of the season.
Coventry City possible starting lineup:
Dovin; Binks, Thomas, Kitching; Van Ewijk, Torp, Allen, Rudoni, Dasilva; Thomas-Asante, Simms
Ipswich Town possible starting lineup:
Palmer; Johnson, Godfrey, Greaves, Davis; Phillips, Morsy; Clarke, Hutchinson, Philogene; Delap
We say: Coventry City 1-2 Ipswich Town
As morale-boosting as Coventry's recent winter winning run was, Wednesday's comprehensive loss to Leeds showed that the Sky Blues are far from the finished product, and their visitors will arrive with a much fresher set of legs.
Lampard's men should still penetrate a permeable Tractor Boys' backline, but we have complete faith in McKenna's Premier League-proven attacking contingent to get them over the line and into round five.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ben Knapton
