Coventry are this season’s form side and currently sit 10 points clear at the top of the table. Frank Lampard has benefited from time and consistency having inherited the strong base of a side with some of the division’s standout players.

They’ve scored five or more in a game on three occasions with the 7-1 thrashing of QPR the highlight and come into this one on the back of five straight wins.

It’s already hard to see anyone beating them to the title on their current form and with the strength of their squad. It is now looking like a shootout for second place for the rest of the contenders.

Goalkeepers

Carl Rushworth is now on his third Championship loan spell away from Brighton and has been brought in by Coventry this season to provide a safe pair of hands between the sticks.

He’s started every single game so far this season, keeping seven clean sheets in the process. Like a lot of modern keepers, he often acts as a sweeper and is a league leader for the number of defensive actions outside his own penalty area.

His bac- up is 33-year-old Ben Wilson, who has been with the Sky Blues since 2019, while last year's number one Oliver Dovin is a long-term injury absentee.

Defenders

Coventry have largely operated this season with a consistent back four. Going from right to left we’ll start with Milan Van Ewijk.

The Dutchman is in his third season with the club and is an attacking right-back, think Leif Davis but on the other side. He averages 1.8 touches in the opposition penalty area per game but is also high on interceptions as he looks to nip in and win the ball back down Coventry’s right.

Next to him is Bobby Thomas, another who is on season three with the Sky Blues. His partnership with Liam Kitching, also in his third season, has really blossomed into a solid base this season.

Both players are excellent all-round defenders who win headers, put in tackles and are chipping in with goals at the other end too with Kitching netting twice in the crucial match against Middlesbrough a couple of weeks ago.

Given how progressive Van Ewijk is, a more solid left-back is needed and that is provided in Jay Da Silva, who you may be surprised to learn is the fourth member of this backline who is in his third season with the club.

Although Da Silva is not as attacking, he still provides a good outlet for progressing the ball up the pitch averaging 5.34 progressive passes per game.

That consistent selection has left the fringe players short of minutes. Luke Woolfenden’s political switch for game time hasn’t worked with just two starts, the latest of which saw him culpable for at least two of former teammate Kieffer Moore’s goals in a rare 3-2 defeat to Wrexham.

Kaine Kesler-Hayden is as good a back-up at this level as you’re going to get and has made 13 appearances, largely off the bench as his versatility allows him to fill in on both sides as well as slotting into defensive midfield on occasion.

Joel Latibeaudiere is currently injured but provides another versatile option whilst the ageing Jake Bidwell is a dependable option should he be needed.

Midfielders

For me, the real gamechanger for Coventry has been the addition of pass-master Matt Grimes. Every season he leads the passing charts for key passes and it’s no different this year. He is the midfield maestro that unlocks the door and will be the man that Azor Matusiwa will likely be keeping a close eye on.

If Grimes is the passing threat, Victor Torp is the goal threat in the middle of the park. The Dane, and there’s a theme here, is also in his third season with the club and sits on a healthy seven goals so far with an additional three assists. A few of those have been long-range screamers and he is in the top 1% of all players for shots averaging 2.84 per game.

Further ahead of that pair, Coventry have a trio of options. Jack Rudoni is the best of the bunch but has been out with an injury that has limited his playing time. However, he came off the bench against Middlesbrough and played 79 minutes on the right-wing against Charlton.

He scored nine goals and assisted 12 last season and is capable of playing anywhere behind the striker, proving the be a shrewd pick-up from Huddersfield following their relegation two seasons ago.

Josh Eccles is the man who has been filling in there and has two goals in his last three games having spent the majority of his Coventry career as a deeper option in a midfield two alongside the departed Ben Sheaf.

Jamie Allen has been a squad player for the last couple of seasons and continues to be so with only three of his 16 appearances so far from the start.

Forwards

Coventry have a number of versatile forward options, all of which can play anywhere across the front four and all of whom are in good form.

The two more natural wingers are Tatsuhiro Sakamoto and Ephron Mason-Clark. Sakamoto has four goals and three assists but also surprisingly rates highly for clearances and number of aerials won.

Mason-Clark has three goals and two assists and is the team's carrying outlet with his 4.66 progressive carries per game among the highest in the league.

Then you have the three more natural strikers. Brandon Thomas-Asante started the season on a hot streak and is currently sitting on 10 goals for the season. Only one of those has come in his last five games and he’s been on the bench for the last two of those.

Hadji Wright is on eight goals but none of those have come in his last five games, which just leaves the Sky Blue’s most in-form striker in former Town target Ellis Simms, who has scored two braces in his last two matches to take his total to the season to seven.

The Teams

It’s surely now the time to pick a ‘best XI’ and stick with it. In most positions I think it’s clear who the best player is, even though the drop-off to the back-up option isn’t that much.

The only rogue change that you could make to the below is trying to get Jack Clarke in the team as well as the number 10, a position he ended up in on Tuesday night.

Coventry have a few injury worries going into this onem so won’t be at full strength. Wright and Thomas-Asante are both set to miss out, whilst Sakamoto is a doubt and didn’t feature at all against Charlton. Rudoni’s return to fitness is a timely boost and the Sky Blues could well go unchanged.

Prediction

After three underwhelming away days it’s back to Portman Road to take on the league leaders. This new group of players have had their struggles but the home crowd at Portman Road has seen some statement wins so far this season.

One thing that is almost a certainty is that there will be goals scored. The pair are the league’s highest goalscorers with Coventry sat on a whopping 50 and Town joint-second with Hull on 30. With that in mind I'm going for a 5-3 victory for the Super Blues.

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