Coventry v Plymouth Preview

Many expected Coventry to be up near the play offs this term, while Plymouth were tipped to struggle at the other end. The Sky Blues spent big during the summer yet are only a few places above the relegation zone, while Plymouth are surprising everyone and find themselves just three points from the top six.

All throughout the season Coventry have struggled to put any sort of consistency together and that sort of form appears to have caught up with them. The Sky Blues are languishing in 17th position and following a scrap against relegation last season; it looks like it could be a similar story through this campaign. Chris Colemen’s men just don’t seem to be able to build on results and after beating Birmingham, they then went and dismally lost at home to Crystal Palace. One or two figures within the club have come out and spoken about how things must improve, and really they should considering the talent they have on paper. The likes of Scott Dan, Kieran Westwood, Freddy Eastwood and Clinton Morrison to name a few are in their squad yet if things continue as they are, pre-season predictions look to be well and truly false.

It couldn’t be any more different for Plymouth and Paul Sturrock has said this week how pleased he is with their current position. The Pilgrims are sat in 11th place which is a far cry off what all the pundits predicted before the season had started. Plymouth have lost many of their prized assets over the last year or so and really, Sturrock has been forced to build from scratch. The turning point seemed to be the signing of Emile Mpenza and while the former Manchester City striker has hardly set the division alight with goals, he brings much needed experience and competition to the Home Park side. You can hardly describe Plymouth’s form as consistent, but they’ve notched a fair amount of wins so far this season and any side that is sat mid-table in this division must be performing well.

There’s plenty of team news to report for the home side with Chris Coleman hoping to see three players return from injuries. Stephen Wright, Leon Best and Jay Tabb all look to have recovered from their respective problems and are now back into contention for a place. However, it’s not all good news, with Leon McKenzie still doubtful with a thigh problem. As for Plymouth, they will be without Paul Gallagher through suspension while defenders Krisztian Timar and David McNamee are struggling with injuries. However, Paul Sturrock has been dealt a good piece of news in regards to Nicolas Marin who has shaken off a back injury and is available to play.

Both of these sides are hardly consistent and it’s very hard to predict an outcome. Bearing their recent results in mind, we’ll have to go for a draw – although it definitely won’t be pretty. 0-0.