Sideways Sammy

A lucky, last-gasp win at Sheffield Wednesday last week leaves Coventry City just one point off the top six and on a run of seven wins from their last eight league games. With the fixture list looking less hectic and key players coming back to fitness over the next few weeks, the Sky Blues look to be in a great position to keep up the pressure on the play-offs at a crucial time of the season.

If Coventry can overcome their long-term hoodoo against Preston North End, that would go a long way to engendering the feeling that this campaign is set to become a memorable one. Everyone of a Sky Blue persuasion knows their have never won at Deepdale, but the home form isn’t much better, with only one league win against the Lilywhites since the turn of the millennium. With Preston having lost just once in their last ten games and harbouring play-off ambitions of their own, this fixture is far from a straightforward prospect for Coventry City.

Expected Line-Up

Despite the strong form of late, Frank Lampard is heading towards a selection headache in several areas as new addition and players returning from injury erode his sense of what his strongest starting line-up and even what formation he wants to play. Recent performances have hinted that the current back three set-up may have its issues, but it would be a difficult decision to change shape at a time the team is enjoying its best run of the season.

The fitness of Ephron Mason-Clark may well dictate whether Lampard sticks or twists with the defensive shape. If Mason-Clark is able to start, it would be awkward to figure out how to play him, Jack Rudoni and a back three at the same time without playing one of Mason-Clark or Rudoni slightly out of position. The left winger’s availability, therefore, would dictate a switch to a back four but would leave some key decisions elsewhere in the side.

Finding the best midfield shape to build around Matt Grimes is a key area that Frank Lampard has yet to figure out. The midfielder has shown class in his early appearances but he has been unable to dictate games, as would be hoped for, due to a lack of physical presence around him to provide him with time on the ball. The, currently out of favour, Josh Eccles may be best suited for that enforcer role, which could suddenly leave Victor Torp – who missed last Saturday’s game through injury – on the fringes, due to being unsuited to playing in a midfield two.

Elsewhere, it seems likely that Jake Bidwell will start here, regardless of whether the team plays with full-backs or wing-backs, just because it’s Preston North End and not the right kind of game to have Jay Dasilva in the side. If the team sticks with a back three, it’s probably a coin toss between Luis Binks and Joel Latibeaudiere as the third centre-back, with neither having looked particularly convincing of late.

Last Time We Met

Coventry City went to Deepdale, they lost.

In a tight game between two sides low on confidence, Preston North End edged out the Sky Blues by a single goal. That familiar foe, Emil Riis, decided the contest, heading in a Robbie Brady effort, after the away defence fell asleep at a seemingly overhit set-piece delivery. Coventry should have levelled late on, when Haji Wright poked home, only for Preston to sway the referee by appealing the loudest for a handball in the box that looked, at best, a marginal call.

It was a defeat that sparked ugly scenes in the away end, with Mark Robins coming in for a disproportionate level of abuse when coming to show his appreciation for the support after the game finished.

The Opposition

The Manager – Paul Heckingbottom

A manager who may well feel he’s been unfairly typecast as a dull manager, perhaps largely due to having one of the most dour Yorkshireman names possible. Paul Heckingbottom has done pretty much as expected since taking over at Preston North End early in the season, steadied the ship and made a hard to beat team, once again, hard to beat. Whether it’s down to his preferred style of simply the resources at his disposal, the football under Heckingbottom hasn’t been a huge departure to what preceded it, with both defeats and goals scored in short supply.

Since getting promoted back to the Championship in 2015, Preston North End have been a physical, experienced side that, at their best, can unsettle the more technical teams at this level but, at their worst, can be miserable to watch. With a core of experienced, reliable performers, who have gradually been replaced with slightly younger, reliable performers over the years, Preston are a side who can be relied upon for a strong base level of performance but rarely more than that.

Who To Look Out For?

The one area of the team that Paul Heckingbottom has made changes to since taking over late in the summer transfer window this season has been in defence, where centre-backs Ryan Porteous and Lewis Gibson have been his key additions to the squad. While it has been part of an attempt to add pace at the back for North End, both Porteous and Gibson are steady, reliable Championship performers who have slotted in with ease to the team’s back three, with Liam Lindsay leading in the middle and Freddie Woodman one of the best goalkeepers in the division behind them.

That solid core is further added to in midfield, where the tigerish and physical Ali McCann and Brad Potts remain regular starters, with the tough tackling Ryan Ledson to come on from the bench. Icelandic midfielder, Stefan Thordarson, has been an attempt to add a little more flair through the middle, and while the giant midfielder can provide that, his physicality has eased his transition into the team.

On top of that are the physical front-men of Emil Riis, who is the team’s usual first-choice in attack, with Will Keane able to come off the bench and further wear down tired defenders. Neither are the most mobile of strikers but give them service and runners around them, they can wreak havoc.

There is some flair in this Preston North End side, with forwards, Milutin Osmajic and Mads Frokjaer-Jensen probably the most exciting players in the team. Osmajic is a potentially deadly combination of pace and physicality up front, while Frokjaer-Jensen can open games up with his dribbling ability from deep. Leeds United loanee, Sam Greenwood, is very inconsistent but is the kind of forward who can produce something from nothing. In addition, Kaine Kesler Hayden from right wing-back offers the kind of pace that can really unsettle opposing defences.

Where The Game Will Be Won Or Lost

Preston North End are going to be happy to let Coventry City pass the ball around the back and wait for opportunities that any loose play presents them. North End will feel confident that they have the defensive organisation and physicality to be difficult for Coventry to play through them and if they can get their noses in front, they’ll be able to frustrate and dig in to see the game out.

The challenge for Coventry City here is to be able to move the ball quickly enough from defence into attack without those loose moments that can allow Preston North End to disrupt their rhythm and manufacture opportunities on the break. This is exactly the kind of game that Matt Grimes has been signed for, to that play that role as the first pass out of defence and to play quick, accurate passes forward that get the opposing defence on the turn. If Ephron Mason-Clark is able to start on the left-wing, his darting runs in behind could also prove invaluable.

As ever, set-pieces could be a crucial area of what is likely to be a tight contest. For such a physical, experienced side, Preston North End don’t score many from dead ball situations and while they are good at defending them, this could be an area for Coventry City to target in order to blow open what might otherwise be a difficult challenge to get on the scoresheet here.