Town defender Leif Davis says the Blues are prepared for all approaches ahead of a showdown with high-flying Coventry City at the Coventry Building Society Arena.

At the halfway stage of the season, the table-topping Sky Blues are eight points clear at the summit of the Championship and currently hold a 13-point buffer between themselves and Town in third place.

Under the guidance of Frank Lampard, Coventry are still yet to lose a home match this term and enter Monday’s meeting having won eight straight matches on their own turf.

Kieran McKenna’s side were victorious in the reverse fixture with a 3-0 victory at Portman Road little more than three weeks ago, but Davis insisted that an away trip will pose a different challenge when asked whether such opposition suits the Blues more.

“It’s hard to say,” he said. “They changed formation the last time we played them, they went more defensive. You never know, they might come more attacking this time and you’ve seen they’ve scored a lot of goals in the league.

“They might push again to keep attacking but you never know, we’ve just got to play our own game plan and do everything we can to win the game.

“It’s going to be a different game to the last time. It’s going to be a different game to what we played on Friday [against Millwall].

“Every game is a different game, but we’ve got to go out there with the right mentality and do everything we can to win the game.”

Coventry have been dealing with a sickness bug that has seen a handful of first-team players absent in recent matches due to carrying seasonal illnesses.

Centre-back Bobby Thomas is one of those affected, which has meant former Blues defender Luke Woolfenden has been rewarded with back-to-back starts after being an unused sub at Portman Road earlier this month.

“He was a big player for us,” Davis said of a potential reunion with the Town academy graduate.

“He played a lot of games and is an incredible lad. I’d like to say I miss him a lot, he’s a great lad off the pitch and I got on with him really well. He’s there now so hopefully he’s enjoying it there and it will be good to see him on Monday night.”

One player Woolfenden will not be tasked with marking is George Hirst, who is currently out with a groin issue picked up against Sheffield Wednesday before Christmas.

Iván Azón and Chuba Akpom are the two players vying to fill Hirst’s boots, and Davis says both forwards provide their own unique qualities to the Blues frontline.

He said: “Two good players as well that can fit in that role well. Chuba especially is very good in front of goal, you saw against Millwall when he came on he was really active with the ball and wanted to get in the attacking positions.

“It’s different for Chuba because he likes to drop deep, get the ball, turn and try and attack the players.

“Iván’s a more powerful lad, would love to jump for a header, gets himself about and works hard for the team. We’ve got two other options up there. Gutted for Hirsty, but he’ll come back stronger.”

Town’s trip to the West Midlands rounds off their schedule for 2025, a calendar year that ultimately included the disappointment of relegation from the Premier League.

Davis is confident the Blues can make 2026 more successful, claiming they are well-placed heading into the second half of the Championship season.

“A big experience, especially at the start of the year,” the 25-year-old reflected. “The summer was a reset to come back to this league and do everything we can to try and go back up.

“We’re in a strong position at the end of the year that we’ve got the quality to do that. It’s been a good year, but we’ve got to go stronger again next year.

“I’ve said it so many times but it does take time. We’ve had a lot of time now and you can see in parts of the game that the attacking quality is there. It’s just that lack of final third penetration and stuff like that.

“We can play all the good football through the back and through the middle and it looks nice, but you want to get the goals and take the three points away from the game.

“You’ve got to be confident. If you’re not confident in the team or you’re not confident in yourself, you’re not going to get anywhere. You’ve got to be confident in yourself and make sure everyone around you is with you.”

Photo: TWTD