Frank Lampard is set to make one more team selection of the regular season as Coventry City prepare for their biggest game of the 46-match campaign, with 90 minutes to secure the club’s place in the play-offs.
The head coach’s options, however, are limited due to on-going injuries to key players, not least influential winger Ephron Mason-Clark who is still recovering from a foot problem but is hoped to return should the Sky Blues extend their season. Victory over Saturday’s CBS Arena opponents Middlesbrough would guarantee that and, as such, the players will be going all out to ensure they get the three points on home spoil.
Lampard has a difficult call to make on two of his regular first choice back four with centre-half Bobby Thomas and right-back Milan van Ewijk hoped to be available after sitting out recently with calf and groin strains, respectively.
Thomas has been out for four games while Van Ewijk just missed the weekend’s trip to Luton, so fitness levels shouldn’t be an issue. The only possible concern will be aggravating their recovering muscle injuries further and risking them being absent for the play-offs. But City will need their best players out on the pitch to get over the line in the first place, so it may well be a calculated risk Lampard has to take.
That being the case, we could well see both restored to the starting line-up if given the go-ahead by the medical team at a time when we await to see if Joel Latibeaudiere’s ankle settles down.
The other two positions in the back four take care of themselves, with Liam Kitching set to continue at left-sided centre-back following his warrior-like display against Luton, while Jake Bidwell will come in for Jay Dasilva who is suspended for the last match after his red card offence at Kenilworth Road.
As for the delicate subject of which goalkeeper will play, we await to see. To be fair to under-fire Brad Collins, he had a terrific game against the Hatters where he made several really good saves before having a rush of blood to the head and racing out unnecessarily to deal with a high ball that Kitching had his head all over. The error of judgement ultimately cost City a point.
Many fans have been calling for Ben Wilson to be restored but it’s another tough call because it’s understood that the experienced keeper is still not 100 percent in terms of confidence in the knee ligament injury that sidelined him for three months earlier in the season. Added to that is the fact that he hasn’t played for almost seven months, making this a really big game for him to be thrown back into with so much at stake.
The midfield, meanwhile, thankfully takes care of itself with Ben Sheaf, Matt Grimes and Jack Rudoni almost certain starters, while Tatsuhiro Sakamoto expected to start on the right flank, having been forced to make way for Bidwell after Dasilva was sent off at the weekend.
Haji Wright will also start, probably on the left, although the inclusion of Jamie Paterson would allow the leading scorer to be deployed down the middle where Ellis Simms has been starting with varying degrees of success. The big and strong centre-forward has frustrated at times, making use of his natural attributes and bullying defenders one week and then earning criticism for not imposing himself enough the next.
Brandon Thomas-Asante is another option but you would like to think Simms will be up for such a massive match and, therefore, get the nod to continue to lead the line, particularly at home where City have enjoyed impressive form. Elsewhere, Norman Bassette is currently nursing a quad injury so it’s unclear if he will be available from the bench.
Predicted City team v Middlesbrough: Brad Collins; Milan van Ewijk, Bobby Thomas, Liam Kitching, Jake Bidwell; Ben Sheaf, Matt Grimes; Tatsuhiro Sakamoto, Jack Rudoni, Haji Wright; Ellis Simms.
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