Boss Kieran McKenna says it would be stupid for the Blues to lessen their expectations of the challenge they face when they take on leaders Coventry City at the CBS Arena on Monday just because they beat the Sky Blues 3–0 at Portman Road earlier this month (KO 6pm).

Third-placed Town, who will be looking to record their first double of the season, ended Coventry’s run of five wins on the bounce at the start of the month, the Midlanders’ only defeat in their last 10 matches, only their second in the Championship in 2025/26 and their heaviest loss this season.

Since that result, Frank Lampard’s side have won two and drawn two, and beat Swansea City 1-0 at home on Boxing Day.

Coventry remain top of the table, eight points ahead of second-placed Middlesbrough and 13 in front of Town in third.

They are the division’s top scorers with 54, 15 ahead of Hull City in second - the Blues are third on 38 - and have conceded the second-fewest, 23, behind Stoke City, 21.

At home, they are unbeaten, having won nine and drawn two, and have scored 29 times, more than anyone else in the division. They have conceded just seven on their own turf, the fewest in the Championship.

“They’re doing a really good job,” McKenna said, speaking after the 0-0 draw at Millwall on Boxing Day. “I think they’ve deserved to be in the position that they’ve been so far, picking up lots of points.

“We faced them not long ago, we know it’s a really tough side and especially at home, so it’s going to be a good challenge for us.”

Reflecting on whether the 3-0 home win might have any impact on Monday’s match, McKenna said: “It would be stupid to take anything for granted or lessen our expectation of the challenge because of that.

“We believe that we can be a really good side and on the day we got the first goal after a really, really tight first half, and if we do that and then the opponent comes and opens up more spaces against us, then we know we can be a big threat.

“We were really clinical on that day, some other days, like today, we haven’t been, but in that game we were much more clinical and that’s what got us the three points.

“Of course, I think both teams will watch the game back and try and pick up this or that, but the flow of the game can be really, really different and we need to be ready to face a top side.”

Asked whether he’ll shuffle his pack for the second match in four days and the first of four in 10, McKenna said: “We’ll see. I think across the four games, there are certainly going to have to be changes. Four games in a really short space of time.

“What we do for Monday night, we’re not planning too far ahead at the moment with the challenge of the games we have. We’ll see how the boys recover and we’ll get ready for Monday.

“You never promise anyone anything, but I think the group know that when there’s a schedule like this, the chances of injuries, suspensions and players needing to be rested or rotated goes up a lot.

“Of course, we’ve said that in a spell like this if everyone’s dialled in and engaged, then the strength of your squad can stand up, but that’s only if you’re all really dialled in and engaged.

“That’s where we need everyone to be and I’m sure, unless strange things happen, the team for the Portsmouth game [on January 4th] will probably have some differences from the team today. How we arrive on that, there’s a couple of 90 minutes of football still to be played.”

The Blues boss is pleased that midfielder Azor Matusiwa continues to walk his suspension tightrope, the Dutchman having avoided a 10th booking and a two-match ban for the last three games.

“I thought he played really well today and really well against Sheffield Wednesday,” McKenna continued. “He’s improving all the time and is really important for the team, so you don’t want him to miss any games.

“But when someone’s on nine yellows at this stage, there’s a chance that they might do, but these games in really quick succession, the four in 10 days and two tough away games to start it, it’s good to have him available for those games.”

McKenna was unsure whether forward Sammie Szmodics would be back in the squad for Monday’s fixture, the Irish international having missed the last two matches due to illness.

“I need to get an update,” he said. “He’s not been at the training ground or with the group yet. It’s Friday now, so I’ll have to get an update after this one.”

Monday could be an interesting day at the top of the division with second-placed Middlesbrough hosting Hull City, who are fourth, a 7.45pm kick-off, in addition to the first-v-third game at the CBS Arena.

The Team

McKenna seems likely to tweak his side rather than make wholesale changes with Christian Walton keeping his place in goal having again impressed at Millwall where he recorded his sixth clean sheet in 13 Championship starts this season.

Darnell Furlong and Leif Davis seem set to continue as the full-backs with skipper Dara O’Shea and Cedric Kipre the centre-halves.

In midfield, Matusiwa seems likely to be partnered by Jack Taylor, who started the 3-0 win against the Sky Blues at Portman Road, with Jens Cajuste dropping to the bench.

Ahead of them, Sindre Walle Egeli looks set to start on the right, Marcelino Nunez as the number 10 and Jack Clarke on the left. Chuba Akpom may get the nod to start as the number nine.

The Opposition

The Coventry squad has been hit by a flu bug which has laid low five players over the past few weeks, while manager Lampard was feeling under the weather himself on Boxing Day.

Central defender Liam Kitching and winger Tatsuhiro Sakamoto, who had missed the 1-1 draw at Southampton on Saturday, were back in the side for the Swans match.

Centre-half Bobby Thomas, another of those who had been ill, was again absent against the Welshmen, but this time due to an injury.

“Bobby’s better but he’s got a little issue with his calf, which the illness hasn’t helped because he’s had quite a few days off so he wasn’t ready to play today,” Lampard told CoventryLive. “So we’ll see ahead of Ipswich.”

Right-back Milan van Ewijk missed the 1-1 draw at Preston three weeks ago due to illness and was then sick at the side of the pitch at St Mary’s and was still feeling unwell on Boxing Day.

“It’s one of these lingering things that’s affecting some more than others,” Lampard explained.

“Kitch had it quite bad so I was delighted with him and Tatsu today. Tatsu had it less bad in terms of symptoms but it’s hanging around.

“We’ve got a very small training ground in a sense that we’re all in each other’s faces all the time. So it’s hard to try and control it.

“But as I say, you saw the character of the group last week and I think you see it again today and just getting through it.”

Left-back Jay Dasilva is suspended for the second game of three having been sent off at Southampton.

Striker Brandon Thomas-Asante remains sidelined with a hamstring injury, while keeper Oliver Dovin is a long-term absentee with a knee injury.

History

Town have a good record against Coventry over the years, winning 42 games (39 in the league), losing 24 times (21) and with 25 matches (23) ending in draws.

The Sky Blues have won only five of the last 32 games between the clubs in all competitions, Town having come out on top in the last four.

The Blues are unbeaten in six away against Coventry - two of those games during their spell as tenants at St Andrew’s - with their most recent defeat a 2-1 loss on the opening day of 2009/10 under Roy Keane’s management.

Early last month, goals from Walle Egeli, George Hirst and Ivan Azon saw Town to a 3-0 victory over the Championship leaders at Portman Road.

Keeper Walton had made two vital saves before Walle Egeli put the Blues in front two minutes before the break, Hirst added the second on the hour and sub Azon made it 3-0 five minutes into injury time.

In February, then-Premier League Town secured a place in round five of the FA Cup for the first time since 2007 following a comfortable 4-1 win at Coventry.

Hirst netted from the penalty spot in the second minute after Szmodics had been fouled after only 20 seconds, but the Championship side levelled on eight through Joel Latibeaudiere’s header.

However, Jack Clarke netted twice before half-time and then Jaden Philogene completed the scoring with his first for the club on his birthday from a Clarke pass in the second half.

The last time the Blues were at the Coventry Building Society Arena in the Championship was in April 2024 when Town moved one point away from a return to the Premier League after a hard-fought 2-1 victory over the Sky Blues.

Kieffer Moore’s eighth-minute goal gave the Blues a 1-0 half-time advantage, but the home side, who were in charge for long spells, levelled through Haji Wright on 64.

However, Cameron Burgess restored the lead with his second goal of the season five minutes later and Town saw out 11 minutes of added-on time to claim three vital points which put them a single point away from back-to-back promotions, which was secured with a 2-0 home victory over Huddersfield the following Saturday.

Familiar Faces

Town forward Akpom spent a month on loan with the Sky Blues in 2013/14, making five starts and one sub appearance without scoring.

Another Blues attacker, Conor Chaplin, currently on loan with hometown club Portsmouth, was with the Sky Blues during the 2018/19 season, the first half on loan from Pompey before the switch was made permanent in the January.

Chaplin netted eight goals in 22 starts and nine sub appearances before moving on to Barnsley that summer.

Ipswich-born Luke Woolfenden moved to the Sky Blues for £4 million in the summer having come through the academy and been part of the back-to-back promotion-winning Town team. Since making the switch, the centre-half has made five starts - including the last two matches - and five sub appearances.

Coventry head coach Lampard, who scored his first England goal at Portman Road in the friendly against Croatia in 2003, was interviewed for the Town job in May 2018 following Mick McCarthy’s departure and prior to Paul Hurst’s appointment.

Officials

Monday’s referee is Anthony Backhouse, his assistants Paul Hodskinson and Matthew Smith, and the fourth official Stephen Martin.

Cumbria-based Backhouse, who has shown 60 yellow cards and no red in 13 matches this season, last took charge of the Blues back in April 2023 at Pride Park as the Blues beat Derby 2-0 on their way to promotion from League One. He booked seven players that day, among them three from Town, Walton, Woolfenden and Wes Burns.

Earlier that season, Backhouse was in in the middle for the 2-0 win at Accrington in which he yellow-carded Davis, Woolfenden, Burns and three Stanley players.

Before that, coincidentally, he was in charge of the FA Cup tie against Coventry at St Andrew’s in November 2019 which ended 1-1. Andre Dozzell, Flynn Downes and one Sky Blue were booked.

Prior to that, Backhouse’s only other Town game was the 2-0 defeat at Stoke in December 2018 in which he replaced the referee who had started the match, Geoff Eltringham, in the 39th minute and showed yellow cards to Gwion Edwards and Potters’ full-back Erik Pieters.

Squad From

Walton, Palmer, Button, Furlong, Johnson, Young, H Clarke, Davis, O’Shea (c), Greaves, Kipre, Matusiwa, Cajuste, Taylor, Nunez, Humphreys, J Clarke, Walle Egeli, Philogene, McAteer, Akpom, Azon.

Photo: TWTD