Coventry vs Stoke Prediction: Sky Blues to extend lead

Coventry City look to have got their promotion push back on track in the last two weeks, with a maximum nine points collected, putting them five points clear at the top of the Championship. Their next test comes in the form of a familiar face, as legendary former Sky Blues manager Mark Robins returns to the CBS Arena with his new side Stoke (15:00 GMT). 

Below you can find my Coventry vs Stoke predictions featuring team news and more.

Team News

Coventry boss Frank Lampard looks to have found his winning formula, and having named the same XI for three wins on the trot, it would be a surprise to see him change things up here. Coventry have no injuries of note, so in-form Jack Rudoni should line up in the number 10 role behind Haji Wright - after they both scored at Bramall Lane.

Joel Latibeaudiere should continue his centre-back partnership with Bobby Thomas, while January addition Frank Onyeka will make his fourth start in a row alongside captain Matt Grimes. 

Stoke bagged a win over Oxford in midweek and after ending a run of poor results, Robins may be tempted to also name an unchanged XI. The gaffer revealed that Stoke will receive a boost on Monday when Gavin Bazunu, Divin Mubama, Junior Tchamadeu and Sam Gallagher all return to training, but this game comes too soon for the quartet.

Football Odds

Today's Football Fixtures

Coventry vs Stoke Odds

Coventry are the 8/15 favourites to win this game, giving them an implied win probability of 65% for this home game. Stoke are the 5/1 underdogs, while a draw is 3/1. 

Wright is the favourite to score first at a boosted price of 9/2, while over 2.5 goals is 4/6.

Coventry -1 handicap @ 7/5

I’m going to back my Sky Blues to win here in style, and make it four wins in a row at the top of the league. With Boro playing on Monday night, Lampard’s side can go eight points clear of second with a win on Saturday, and Stoke have been in poor form given their injuries over the past two months. 

The last time these two met in November, they were the top two in the divison. Coventry won that game 1-0 and have stayed the course, whereas Stoke have drastically fallen away and now sit 16th. I think an early home goal could spell trouble for the visitors, and the Sky Blues should be full of confidence having put down a marker at Bramall Lane. 

Jack Rudoni to score anytime @ 2/1

There’s no doubt that Rudoni is one of the best players in the Championship on his day, but despite the strong form of his team, he hasn’t been able to stand out as much as he had hoped. The number 10 has played through an injury this term, and is only just coming out the other side of it - with his performances improving week on week. 

Two goals in his last two games prove he looks back to his best, and I fancy him at a decent price to continue that goalscoring form against the Potters on Saturday. 

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