Sideways Sammy

Bobby Thomas’ last-minute winner against Queens Park Rangers in midweek was a timely boost for a Coventry City side that had suffered chastening back-to-back defeats. Three points off the top six with 14 games to go, the Sky Blues are very much in the play-off race and can cement that position further in this clash with a Sheffield Wednesday side just one point higher in the league standings.

The Owls have been energised this season under the influential leadership of Danny Röhl, but have struggled for consistency over the last few months. They remain a dangerous prospect with their combination of pace and physicality, along with that intangible knack for never knowing when they are beaten, making this a good test of where Coventry City are at currently – are they the team that has won five of their last seven games, or the one that was defeated with ease by Leeds United and Ipswich Town recently?

Expected Line-Up

Frank Lampard doesn’t look to be a manager who likes to change a winning team but the question heading into this game is whether he sees that winning team as the one that started against Queens Park Rangers and put in a pretty tepid display, or the one that improved slightly later on after switching to a 4-2-3-1, but only won thanks to a late goal from a set-piece?

That decision whether to play a team closer to the one that started or finished the last game is likely to rest on how fit Ephron Mason-Clark is assessed as being. Frank Lampard seems to be reticent to sacrifice the solidity of a back three without having Mason-Clark’s ability to run in behind from the left wing to add attacking thrust to the team. With this being an away game, that may tempt the manager further towards sticking with three at the back.

Still, there’s a question as to whether to keep the 3-4-2-1 shape that had its moments against Queens Park Rangers but often managed to leave the team both overrun in midfield and lacking support for Ellis Simms up top. Moving back to the 3-5-2 that had been the centrepiece of the recent winning run may be a consideration here – with Victor Torp another who looks to be struggling with the change in shape – but Frank Lampard may want to keep a shape that makes it easier for him to switch to 4-2-3-1 later on. Instead, Brandon Thomas-Asante and Josh Eccles may come into the team after positive cameos on Tuesday night.

Last Time We Met

Coventry City looked to have edged the recent FA Cup tie with Sheffield Wednesday at the CBS Arena on a freezing day a few weeks ago. Ahead from a Liam Kitching header in the first-half from a set-piece, the Sky Blues created further chances to seal the win and looked to have finally made that second breakthrough when Bobby Thomas turned a set-piece home, only for the referee to hallucinate a foul on Sheffield Wednesday’s goalkeeper to chalk it off.

When Coventry were forced to defend a corner-kick in the dying embers, down to ten-men due to Luis Binks being off the pitch with a blood injury, there was a sense of inevitability as Sheffield Wednesday forced in an equaliser. That led to a period of extra-time both teams looked like they could have done without, putting the Sky Blues back into the traumatic scenario of penalties.

With Jake Bidwell, somehow the team’s second penalty taker, the first to miss, Coventry City looked doomed to another defeat in a shoot-out. However, this time it was the opposition who failed to hold their nerve, with Jamal Lowe blazing over the bar to keep the Sky Blues in the contest and Oliver Dovin saving from Olaf Kobacki to allow Norman Bassette to claim the glory with the final spot-kick.

If only the previous two shoot-outs could have gone like that!

The Opposition

The Manager – Danny Röhl

The German has transformed Sheffield Wednesday from relegation certainties into play-off candidates, with very little help from the club’s owner, over the past fifteen months. The January transfer window was almost completely derailed by Wednesday owner Dejphon Chansiri with a disastrous fans forum where Danny Röhl was criticised for not being proactive enough in the transfer window and also that key midfielder, Shea Charles, had been recalled by Southampton – or maybe he hadn’t, or maybe he had, it took over two weeks to rectify, with rumours at one point liking Charles with city rivals, Sheffield United.

That perhaps goes some way to explaining Sheffield Wednesday’s middling recent form, although injuries to key players, Barry Bannan and Di’shon Bernard, also haven’t been helpful. Having been a side last year that relied heavily on their home form, that script has been flipped this season. While they don’t lose many at home, they seem to have struggled to adapt to teams taking them more seriously at Hillsborough this season than they did last year.

Who To Look Out For?

With Barry Bannan out, the limelight falls on Shea Charles to elevate what can otherwise be a pretty workmanlike Sheffield Wednesday outfit. While Charles may lack that quality of Bannan’s to dictate games of football, his combination of technical quality with physicality make him someone who can dominate the midfield for his team. Probably already capable of playing top-flight football, Charles looks ready to be one of the best midfielders in the Championship next season when he returns to Southampton.

The other star turn available for Sheffield Wednesday is Josh Windass. The forward excelled over the first-half of the season with his energy and shooting ability operating just behind a central striker. Recently, Windass has been moved out wide in order to allow the team to play two up top, which seems a little uncomfortable. If he can drift into central areas, he is someone with the ability to win the game for the Owls.

Additionally, Sheffield Wednesday have an array of pacey wingers who can really cause problems with running in behind to stretch defences. Djeidi Gassama is the best of Owls’ wide-men, or at least the most consistent, but having the ability to throw the quick and skilful pairing of Anthony Musaba and Ibrahim Cissoko later on can really change games in the team’s favour. Furthermore, the giant target-man, Michael Smith, has proved the perfect late substitute too, with his ability to batter tired defences and nick goals for his team proving crucial recently.

At the back, Danny Röhl has improvised lately by playing left-back, Max Lowe, at centre-back to provide the team with defensive pace while Di’shon Bernard is out. In goal, James Beadle is someone who can make big saves for the team and also distribute from the back effectively.

Where The Game Will Be Won Or Lost

Games between these two teams this season have shown there’s not a lot between the two sides, especially with Barry Bannan out for Sheffield Wednesday, which is likely to set up another tight contest. The Owls will feel they’ll be able to cause Coventry City problems by pressing them high as they look to force errors and create quick chances, while the Sky Blues may feel that they can trouble the home side if they can navigate that press and look to stretch the opposing defence in the space that provides.

Matt Grimes has the ability to swing the game in Coventry City’s favour by making himself available as a passing outlet for the defence to get around Sheffield Wednesday’s press, and then play the passes into midfield and the forwards that can open the game up. Shea Charles will have a key role to play for the home side in looking to shut down Grimes’ influence on the game by either imposing himself physically in one-against-one battles or cutting off his opponent’s passing lanes.

If the game proves to be tight, an area Coventry City may well have the edge on Sheffield Wednesday is at set-pieces. Wednesday have conceded the most in the Championship from dead-balls, constituting over a third of the total they’ve let in. Meanwhile, only two teams have scored more than Coventry City from such situations – with both the opening and disallowed goals in the last meeting coming from corner-kicks. The Owls will, at the very least, be feeling nervous whenever the ball goes out for a corner or they give a foul away in their own half.