Coventry vs Southampton Prediction: Spicy affair expected at the CBS

Coventry City are absolutely flying at the top of the Championship, and are now within touching distance of the Premier League. They comprehensively beat Preston North End 3-0 at the CBS Arena on Wednesday night to go nine points clear of Millwall in third, and eight clear of Middlesbrough in second after their slip up. 

Next up they host play-off chasing Southampton (12:30 GMT, Sky Sports Main Event), and below you can find my Coventry vs Southampton predictions featuring team news and more.

Team News

Frank Lampard was afforded the luxury of resting a couple of key players in the win over Preston, as his side raced into a three-goal lead. Haji Wright was left on the bench for the entirety of the 90 minutes but should return to replace Ellis Simms up top. 

Josh Eccles is likely to replace Brandon Thomas-Asante as a more energetic number 10 while the rest of the XI could remain unchanged after Milan van Ewijk was handed a welcome break in the second half. Bobby Thomas and Jack Rudoni remain out injured, while Joel Latibeaudiere returns from his one-match suspension. 

Southampton suffered a blow in their midweek draw with West Brom as Leo Scienza was withdrawn in the first half at the Hawthorns. He’s a major doubt for this game now, so Tom Fellows should start in his place. 

Goalscoring substitute Cyle Larin came on for Ross Stewart at half-time and may be rewarded with a start as a result of his goal. Finn Azaz should provide the creativity from the number 10 role, with Shea Charles pulling the strings from midfield. 

Football Odds

Coventry vs Southampton Odds 

Coventry are priced at 5/6 to win this game, giving them an implied win probability of 55%, while Southampton are 11/4 for the three points. A draw is 11/4, BTTS and over 2.5 goals are both 8/13, and Wright is the favourite to score first at 9/2.

Haji Wright to score anytime @ 21/20

Wright will have been glad for the rest in midweek, but there’s no doubt that he is Lampard’s preferred number nine and will start this crucial game. He’s got 16 goals in 32 games this season, and he is in fantastic form with six goals in his last five Championship outings.

He’s the most likely Coventry player to score and as I don’t fancy backing a home win at a short price, I think Wright to score anytime is the most sensible first selection on offer. 

Bet Builder - BTTS, Onyeka, Kitching, Downes and Harwood-Bellis to be booked @ 66/1

I think this game is going to have plenty of needle, and that means there should be value on offer when we look towards a Bet Builder. If you don’t remember, these two shared quite the tetchy encounter at St Mary’s back in December, and don’t think that either side will have forgotten about that one. 

Lampard’s celebrations at full-time, as his 10 men held onto a precious point, irked the Southampton players and staff - leading to a full on scuffle and some confrontation between the two camps. Taylor Harwood-Bellis was at the centre of things, and is likely to be aggressive at the CBS Arena, along with Flynn Downes who has nine yellows this term. 

Meanwhile, Liam Kitching loves a scrap and has six yellows in 31 appearances, while Frank Onyeka is a destructive midfielder who is likely to be busy. I think those four are likely candidates for bookings in a scrappy game - and let’s throw BTTS in there too for a massive 66/1 Bet Builder. 

You can read all our latest Football Betting Tips at our dedicated Betfred Insights content hub.