Aiming to end October with a much-needed victory, Coventry City will welcome recently-relegated Luton Town to the Coventry Building Society Arena for a Championship battle on Saturday afternoon.
The Sky Blues secured a share of the points at the home of Queens Park Rangers last time out, whilst the Hatters were the latest victims of league leaders Sunderland.
Match preview
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After battling around the playoff picture during the last two Championship seasons, Coventry City have endured a stuttering start to the 2024-25 campaign, leaving supporters and players alike worrying about the possibility of a relegation scrap at the bottom of the division.
That being said, the Sky Blues have taken a step in the right direction after Tuesday night, when Saturday's hosts halted a two-match losing run by sharing the points with QPR at Loftus Road, where a second-half effort from former Tottenham Hotspur youngster Kieran Morgan spared the blushes of the Marti Cifuentes's troops.
Recording his fourth strike of the Championship term, American marksman Haji Wright fired Coventry ahead in West London last time out, with the 15-time international the only player in his side who has netted more than once in the second tier, a worrying statistic for those of a Sky Blues persuasion.
Winning just two of their opening 11 matches in the 2024-25 edition of the second tier, Mark Robins's men are languishing down in 22nd position in the Championship standings, two points behind Plymouth Argyle in 21st and already a mammoth 10 points behind sixth-placed Blackburn Rovers.
Both of Coventry's maximums in the league so far have been collected at the CBS Arena, with the most recent of those arriving against promotion-chasing Blackburn on October 1, when goals from Jake Bidwell, leading bagsman Wright and summer arrival Brandon Thomas-Asante sealed a convincing win.
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Following the jubilation of a derby success over bitter rivals Watford last weekend, Luton Town were brought back down to Earth on Wednesday night, when early pacesetters Sunderland visited Kenilworth Road and escaped back to the North-East with maximum points from the contest.
Despite dominating possession and creating the lion's share of the clear-cut chances on the Bedfordshire night, the Hatters were unable to claim anything tangible for their considerable endeavour, with efforts from midfield wonderkid Chris Rigg and Romaine Mundle securing victory for the Black Cats.
Equalising momentarily for Luton last time out, powerful forward Elijah Adebayo netted his maiden goal in the Championship this season at the 11th attempt, with the 26-year-old trying to return to the form which allowed him to score a hat-trick in the Premier League during 2023-24.
Regardless of improved performances and results since October's international pause, Rob Edwards's side remain in the bottom six of the Championship table ahead of this weekend's trip to the East Midlands, eight points behind Blackburn in the lowest of the playoff positions.
Saturday's clash at the CBS Arena will be the first meeting between Coventry and Luton since the 2023 Championship playoff final at Wembley Stadium, where Fankaty Dabo's missed penalty was the deciding moment of a modern classic in the capital as the Hatters secured promotion to the Premier League for the first time.
Team News
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Coventry are sweating over the fitness of midfielder Josh Eccles, who was forced off during the closing stages of the QPR draw after picking up a knock.
January arrival Victor Torp impressed off the bench at Loftus Road and is likely to be promoted to the Sky Blues' engine room from the start this weekend.
Arguably at fault for QPR's equaliser, Oliver Dovin has seen his positive performances wane in recent matches and could be replaced by Bradley Collins in net.
Despite defeat to Sunderland earlier in the week, Edwards liked what he witnessed from his Luton side and could stick with an unchanged XI as a result.
Alfie Doughty will no doubt provide ample service from the left flank, with a front three of Adebayo, Carlton Morris and Tahith Chong possessing the ability to wreak havoc at this level.
Coventry City possible starting lineup:
Collins; Latibeaudiere, Thomas, Binks; Van Ewijk, Torp, Sheaf, Rudoni, Dasilva; Wright, Thomas-Asante
Luton Town possible starting lineup:
Kaminski; Hashioka, McGuinness, Holmes; Moses, Krauss, Clark, Doughty; Chong, Adebayo, Morris
We say: Coventry City 1-1 Luton Town
Following a frustrating share of the point at Loftus Road, Coventry will be looking to take advantage of a winnable home fixture on Saturday ahead of trips to Sunderland and Middlesbrough over the next few weeks.
The Hatters were unfortunate to lose to the Black Cats last time out and should be good enough to earn a point in the East Midlands this weekend.
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Carter White
