Sideways Sammy

It’s onto everyone’s favorite part of the opening week of the new season: the first round of the League Cup. Coventry City has won just two of the eight League Cup ties since Mark Robins returned to the club in 2017, with the manager tending to view this tie as effectively the final pre-season friendly, with an exit almost the preferred result as it avoids early fixture congestion.

Nonetheless, a defeat against League Two opposition, off the back of an opening day loss, would put some unwanted early pressure on this side, and it should be avoidable if the team can take control of this game early. Given that there is a need to put some minutes in the legs of Coventry City’s newer signings, Mark Robins is likely to name a team for this game that is fairly close to the one he might end up landing on in the league over the next few weeks.

Expected Line-Up

It seems likely that Mark Robins will use this game as an opportunity to get some match fitness into the legs of recent signings: Haji Wright, Milan van Ewijk, Luis Binks, and Tatsuhiro Sakamoto, after none of them started at the weekend. Additionally, players like Gustavo Hamer and Kasey Palmer, who have fitness concerns, will probably be given the night off in order to keep them in the best shape possible for Saturday’s game against Middlesbrough.

Expect Brad Collins to start in goal as he begins his case to take Ben Wilson’s place at some point this season. Ahead of Collins, the shortage of central defensive options limits how much Mark Robins can change, but this could be a useful opportunity to test how the new guys might be able to cope without Kyle McFadzean steering them through the game. With Luis Binks likely to start on the left of the three, that could see Bobby Thomas moved to the middle and Joel Latibeaudiere to the right, although Ryan Howley might also be in contention, likely to occupy the right-sided spot if he starts.

Further forward, Milan van Ewijk looks set to get his first start at Coventry City as the right wing-back, while Jake Bidwell will probably be favored over Tatsuhiro Sakamoto at left wing-back with Jay Dasilva looking set to be handed a rest. In midfield, Liam Kelly looks certain to start, with it being a toss-up between Ben Sheaf and Josh Eccles to partner him – with Eccles slightly likelier due to not having played 90 minutes on Sunday.

In attack, Tatsuhiro Sakamoto should take Kasey Palmer’s place behind the strikers, even if that’s not an entirely natural fit for the Japanese winger. Ahead of him, Haji Wright will probably be handed a run-out here to get him in shape for further involvement in the league in the weeks ahead. Ellis Simms will probably be Wright’s strike partner, purely because he went off earlier than Godden on Sunday, but there’s a chance that Justin Obikwu might get a first competitive start for the club to keep the strike options fresh for the weekend.

Last Time We Met

With Coventry City having been close to the Premier League last season and AFC Wimbledon, very remotely, involved in a relegation battle to non-league, remarkably, it was just four years ago when these two teams met as equals in League One. Well, equals might be a strong word for it, but a determined Dons certainly made the Sky Blues work for victory on a September evening at St Andrew’s, going ahead after Coventry legend Michael Folivi won an early penalty, which was converted by Marcus Forss.

After Folivi missed a sitter that would have made it two, it was pretty much one-way traffic from then on. Jordy Hiwula drew Coventry City level before the half-hour mark, after being sent through on goal by Jordan Shipley to produce a typically unconvincing finish. The turnaround should have been complete before half-time, with Hiwula and Callum O’Hare missing good chances, as the prospect of a frustrating draw increased. That was until Liam Walsh decided to take affairs into his own hands on the stroke of full-time, darting forward from midfield, exchanging passes with Jordan Shipley, before passing the ball into the back of the net.

The Opposition

The Manager – Johnnie Jackson

Someone who once had a short but memorable loan spell at Coventry City in his playing days, Johnnie Jackson has made the step into management over the past couple of years with mixed success. A spell at Charlton Athletic was ended somewhat unfairly two years ago before Jackson moved on to AFC Wimbledon as they looked to rebuild in League Two. A decent start to last season suggested Jackson was a young manager with potential, but he is lucky to still be in a job, having recorded just one win since the turn of the year.

Jackson is still in the phase of figuring out just what kind of manager he wants to be. He tried a lot of tactical styles last year without ever sticking to one, and it feels like he is entering the new campaign looking to focus on defence first, after his team’s woeful record at holding onto leads last year. There has been a big emphasis on physicality and tactical discipline in the club’s summer transfer business, which is intended to complement what is otherwise quite a young team.

Who To Look Out For?

The challenge with these previews for League Cup games is assessing just how seriously managers will look to take these games. Johnnie Jackson has tended to name relatively strong teams for the FA and League Cups, usually only rotating the starting goalkeeper.

In attack, AFC Wimbledon has three of the better strikers currently operating in League Two. Josh Davison is a big striker but is most effective as a poacher in the penalty area, which is why the Dons have added the physical presence of Omar Bugiel to do some of Davison’s work outside of the box. The star man, however, is Ali Al-Hamadi, who scored ten goals in 20 appearances after signing in January. With the team in dire form, Al-Hamadi drew tentative interest this summer from Championship teams. Incredibly quick, he might be looking to this game to demonstrate what he can do against a higher quality of defenders.

Elsewhere, AFC Wimbledon is looking to be more robust and workmanlike. Armani Little in central midfield and Josh Neufville out wide will be looking to provide some level of excitement with the ball at their feet. However, it is experienced pros such as Jake Reeves, Alex Pearce, and Lee Brown that Johnnie Jackson is looking to build this team around.

Where The Game Will Be Won Or Lost

Even a half-strength and semi-motivated Coventry City team should win this game comfortably, with around £20 million of talent likely to be in the starting lineup. However, cup football provides the potential for shocks, and with AFC Wimbledon at home and the Sky Blues still in the early phase of figuring out their best team, this tie will take at least some effort to win.

The prospect of a potential strike pairing of Haji Wright and Ellis Simms, with Tatsuhiro Sakamoto in behind, should be devastating against a League Two defence. Wright showed against Leicester City that his physicality, touch, and pace can cause top defenders all kinds of problems, while Simms scored four goals in two games against fourth-tier sides in pre-season. This game should be all about how often the team can get the ball into the strikers, provided that they even start.

At the other end, the Sky Blues will have to be watchful of the physicality of Omar Bugiel, who could give someone like Ryan Howley, if he starts, a lesson in what it takes to compete against an experienced professional on a tough midweek assignment. Moreover, if Bugiel can draw the attention of the defence away from the rapid Ali Al-Hamadi, that could provide AFC Wimbledon’s route to victory.