Sideways Sammy

Promotion was secured on Friday night with a tense draw against Blackburn Rovers but there remains a further prize for Coventry City to secure, the league title, which is just two points away. It is almost certainly a case of not if but when, however, there is the chance to get it done at the first available opportunity here, ending a three-game winless run in the process, which would really set a party mood for the last week of the campaign.

The opposition are a Portsmouth side who are one win away from securing safety and have beaten two of the automatic promotion contenders in their last three games, as well as picking up a crucial victory over Leicester City at the weekend. They will be far from a walkover, able to play with the abandon of a side who know a defeat will be no disaster, if there’s any hangover from both getting promotion sealed and attending the EFL awards at the weekend, Portsmouth will be there to punish it.

Expected Line-Up

Frank Lampard made the rogue choice to go for a back three against Blackburn Rovers, which proved a poor decision, allowing the home side to run all over the Sky Blues for the first-half and eventually take the lead early in the second. It is a mistake the manager surely will not repeat here, which will probably involve shuffling the pack now that some of the pressure has been removed and those who are not 100% fitness don’t have to be risked here.

Frank Onyeka is notable name who may get the rest he needs here. The Nigerian has looked sloppy in recent games, which should provide an opportunity for Victor Torp to put his name back in the reckoning as attention turns to who can adapt to Premier League football next season. Jack Rudoni and Ephron Mason-Clark are other candidates for a rest, with Brandon Thomas-Asante a possiblity to take either’s place.

Elsewhere, the big call is whether Ellis Simms or Haji Wright starts up front. The latter was deemed not sharp enough to do so against Blackburn Rovers on Friday, but had a chance or two when he came on – which couldn’t be said for Ellis Simms, whose goal drought continues.

Presuming a return to a back four, that leaves a vacant spot on the right of the attack to fill. Surely that will be taken by Romain Esse, even if Frank Lampard has been reticient to pick him over the past month or so.

Last Time We Met

Coventry City travelled to Portsmouth on a Tuesday night back in October, in the midst of an excellent run of winning and not conceding goals that dragged the Sky Blues to the top of the division. Looking lethal on the counter and a threat from just about every set-piece, that pressure told when Brandon Thomas-Asante reacted quickest to a loose ball in the penalty area to put Coventry ahead at Fratton Park before half-time.

The game was killed off in the second-half, when great hold-up play from Ellis Simms saw him play Thomas-Asante clean through on goal to finish with aplomb. The latter could have completed his hat-trick later on when he caught a loose clearance sweetly on the volley only to hit the crossbar. With seconds left, Portsmouth ended Coventry’s run of clean sheets when Makenzie Kirk lobbed Carl Rushworth to add respectability to the final score.

The Opposition

The Manager – John Mousinho

On the verge of keeping a Portsmouth side with a small budget and some horrendous luck with injuries in the Championship for a second season running, Mousinho has proven himself one of the better pound-for-pound operators at this level and potentially with an eye on what he could do at a better-resourced club in future years. John Mousinho has done well to keep a level head at Fratton Park after multiple moments this season where confidence has plumetted and results have desserted them.

A three-game winning run has been fueled by the team giving up some of their aspirations to keep the ball and focusing on defending in numbers, before looking to sting at the other end. While they are likely to battle hard and throw bodies on the line here to pick up a positive result that will make sure of safety, with key players back from injury in attack, they have the ability to open up and take the game to the Sky Blues.

Who To Look Out For?

That Portsmouth have had such a strong run of form lately without two of their best players available – Josh Murphy out wide and the midfield powerhouse, Ebou Adams – is a real testament to how well-organised they’ve been in recent games. From having an excellent shot-stopper in Nicholas Schmid who can make big saves, along with Conor Shaughnessy and Regan Poole throwing their bodies on the line in defence, to Marlon Pack and Andre Dozzell spoiling things in the middle of the park, Portsmouth have made themselves a really niggly side ot play against.

That niggle factor will be added to by the return of Ebou Adams, who is an incredible athlete who can really get in the faces of opponents and limit their time on the ball, almost a Championship version of Ngolo Kante, able to put in the running of two or three players/

One of the poorer attacking sides in the division, Portsmouth have an array of forward players that John Mousinho has struggled to make sense of for much of the campaign. From the quality that Josh Murphy provides with his unerring delivery out wide, the individual brilliance of Adrian Segecic, the team’s top-scorer from an attacking midfield role, to John Swift and Conor Chaplin returning to Pompey as proven attacking performers at this level, with Millenic Alli, Gustavo Caballero and Keshi Anderson offering pace in wide areas, it’s not a lack of options that Mousinho has struggled with but how to fit them together. That’s all with the physical, hard-running Colby Bishop to lead the line.

Where The Game Will Be Won Or Lost

The big question heading into this game is in what condition this Coventry City side is after the physical and emotional release of sealing promotion on Friday night. On the one hand, some of the struggles for fluency in recent matches could well be down to knowing how close promotion was and that could allow the team to really let loose now they know they’re a Premier League team next season. On the other, the lack of pressure and any slip in standards in training as a result of celebration could make for a laboured display where a motivated opponent, in Portsmouth, make all the running.

Portsmouth are certainly not going to make it easy for Coventry City to kick any premature title celebrations off. With a resolute back-line that love throwing their bodies on the line and a handful of capable attacking players that can stretch the Sky Blues back-line and take advantage of any gaps, they could really frustrate Coventry and nick a result that will but secure safety. The challenge here will be to try and force Portsmouth to come onto the home side by playing the ball patiently around the back, then look to stretch a slow back-line with quick balls into the forwards.

Key will be how sharp the attacking players are in making space against a physical and motivated opposing defence. Haji Wright could be invaluable here with his movement to pick out those gaps but could equally come unstuck if the build-up play is too slow and he is up against a set back-line waiting for crosses. Additionally, Matt Grimes and possibly Victor Torp will be important in picking those passes into the attack to try and open the game up.