Coventry City

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Coventry City welcome Middlesbrough for a vital clash between the Championship's top two sides on Monday night (kick-off 20:00 GMT).

The Sky Blues have won just two of their past eight games - and only four of their previous 13 (D4 L5) - to see their 10-point lead wiped out by Boro, who are two points clear at the top.

Kim Hellberg's side are in excellent form and have scored 16 goals in a six-game winning run in the league.

• Coventry have won each of their past five league games against Middlesbrough, with each victory coming by at least a two-goal margin.

• Middlesbrough have lost six of their past seven away league games against Coventry (W1), losing each of their previous four visits without scoring a single goal.

• Since the start of December, Coventry have averaged just one goal a game in the Championship (13 goals in 13 games), having averaged 2.8 in their first 18 games this term (50 goals).

• Middlesbrough have won their past six league matches and could win seven in a row for the first time since May 1987 (7 in the third tier). They last had a longer winning streak in the second tier of English football in April 1974 (9).

• Coventry failed to score in their draw against Oxford last time out, despite attempting 24 shots and producing an xG total of 2.3. They have never failed to score in consecutive league games under Frank Lampard, last doing so in October 2023 (3 under Mark Robins).

Frank Onyeka says Coventry are gearing up for an intense top-of-the-table clash with Middlesbrough.

The 28-year-old midfielder - who joined on loan from Brentford until the end of the season at the end of the transfer window - was an unused sub in Saturday's home stalemate with Oxford United.

The point allowed Boro to take over at the summit for the first time since October with a 2-1 win at Sheffield United on Monday night.

The Sky Blues host the new leaders at the CBS Arena on Monday (20:00 GMT), aiming to depose them at the first opportunity and Onyeka told BBC CWR: "It's obviously a big game and whoever wins will be top.

"We will just focus on ourselves. We know it will be a very intense game so we are training well to make sure we are ready for the game."

The former Midtjylland man said he has enjoyed training with his new club and added his main attributes are "strength, winning duels, running with the ball and reading the game".

He joins Matt Grimes, Victor Torp and Josh Eccles in the central midfield ranks but said: "I think we are all different type of players. We bring different qualities to the team, for me it's just about settling in with the boys.

"I bring experience to the team and try to bring intensity."

He received a warm welcome from Sky Blues' fans during his warm-up for the Oxford match and said: "I appreciate the fans' welcome and I can't wait to give everything for the squad and the fans."

Coventry City could be boosted by the availability of three players for the vital Championship clash with Middlesbrough at the CBS Arena on Monday night.

Winger Ephron Mason-Clark missed the goalless draw against Oxford with a foot injury sustained at QPR, while January arrivals Jahnoah Markelo and Frank Onyeka are yet to make their debuts.

But Sky Blues manager Frank Lampard says they are all in contention to be available for the visit of league-leaders Boro.

"He [Mason-Clarke] started to do some work through this week, so we're hoping he will be training over the weekend," Lampard told BBC CWR.

"[Markelo is] training well, getting fit and looks good."

Midfielder Onyeka, who joined on loan from Brentford, was an unused sub last weekend and his wife has since given birth.

The 28-year-old Nigeria international has returned to training though and is in contention for Monday (kick-off 20:00 GMT).

"Yeah, he's ready to go," Lampard said. "Had a couple of days off, had the baby on Sunday, Monday. So he's training with us and ready.

"So it's good to have a little bit of training time for him before we start to look at games going forward."

Sports psychologist Peter Dutton has said he believes Frank Lampard's experience will help Coventry City overcome their poor run and that their slip from the top of the Championship might not be as bad as it seems.

The Sky Blues fell off the top of the table for the first time since October after a goalless draw against relegation-threatened Oxford United on Saturday - their third winless Championship game in a row (L2).

The side will have the opportunity to regain top spot when they host current league leaders Middlesbrough on Monday (20:00 GMT) - a game where state of mind may play a large part.

"It may take slight pressure off of them [no longer being league leaders]," Dutton told BBC Radio CWR.

"If you look at Middlesbrough, their confidence will be high. They are playing without the weight of defending a long lead like Coventry have been.

"Fortunately, Coventry have a very experienced manager - as a player and to an extent a manager - that can help them battle. It's more of a process than a position, it's more about consistency than them seeing it as a threat."

Listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds

Listen to more Coventry City content on BBC Sounds

Millwall midfielder Massimo Luongo says Middlesbrough are the best team in the Championship this season.

Boro are two points clear of Coventry at the top - having wiped out the Sky Blues' 10-point lead - following their 2-1 win at Sheffield United on Monday night.

"Honestly… patterns, running, detail, everything is top," Luongo told BBC's Football Daily 72+ podcast.

"It's so good to watch. I put it on the other night and it was nice to watch. OK, you're full of confidence, you're top of the league but everything is sticking, they're running hard.

"You've got people overlapping, under-lapping, full-backs coming into the middle of the pitch. They are the best team I've seen this season."

Luongo described Boro's trip to Coventry on Monday as a "heavyweight" clash between the Championship's top two.

"Coventry rely on their goalscoring and they can, they can score goals," he added. "But I think Middlesbrough have a tougher chin."

Ex-Crystal Palace, Watford and Reading winger Jobi McAnuff also praised Boro boss Kim Hellberg for making his team "outstanding and really good to watch".

"Coventry have to be really careful because what has been the big problem for them of late is too much space in behind," he said.

You can follow live text coverage of Coventry v Middlesbrough on the BBC Sport website on Monday, 16 February (kick-off 20:00 GMT).

Rob Gurney
BBC CWR commentator

Middlesbrough going top is a big concern for everybody at the moment because of the way that the two teams have played recently.

Boro have now won six on the trot - a very impressive performance away to Sheffield United, particularly in the first half where their counter-attacking was brilliant.

And the Sky Blues, as we know, have struggled to win games recently. They have won four matches at home in December and January.

This is a huge fixture now on Monday - in the context of the season, just for the Sky Blues really to show they have still got some confidence and belief despite the run of results in the last couple of months.

Since the end of November, it's not been a great watch in terms of some of the performances and the results they've managed to grind out.

A couple of 1-0 wins at home - one before and one after Christmas against Bristol City and Swansea - and then a couple of wins in January against Leicester and Millwall both 2-1.

Everybody needs to bring their A-game on Monday now to overhaul Middlesbrough and go back to the top of the table.

I'm talking players, Frank Lampard, coaching staff, fans as well to make sure that the players know that the supporters still believe that something special can be created this season.

And that's how you achieve things in any sport really. Football particularly is for people to stay united and pulling in the same direction, so hopefully that will be the case on Monday and the balance can be redressed.

Psychologically, that would be a huge achievement, particularly bearing in mind the way the Sky Blues have played in the last six to eight weeks.

They need to reset the season in many respects by putting up a good performance against Middlesbrough and taking all three points.

Rob Gurney was talking to BBC CWR's Will Oelrich. You can listen to their full analysis on BBC Sounds.

Image source, Getty Images

Scunthorpe United have signed Coventry City forward Aidan Dausch on loan until the end of the season.

The forward made his first appearance for the National League side as a second-half substitute in their 1-0 win over Southend United on Saturday.

The 19-year-old had been recalled by the Sky Blues from a season-long loan at Forest Green Rovers where he scored once in 11 appearances.

Dausch joined Coventry at the age of 16 and has made two Championship appearances from the bench for the Championship club.

Image source, Getty Images

Coventry City boss Frank Lampard has said that the scoreless draw at home to Oxford United was a "frustrating result".

Despite the visitors being reduced to 10 men late on, the Sky Blues were unable to take advantage as their winless run in the Championship extends to three matches.

"It's a frustrating result but the lads did everything," Lampard told BBC Radio CWR.

"There's lots of positives in the performance though, we dominated every part of it really and didn't give anything away other than maybe one counter-attack in the first half, other than that it was all us, the ball wasn't going in the net though.

"We were very good up to the last bit, it's not easy against a dogged team that set up in a low block.

"We tried a lot and we created enough to win the game but it didn't happen for us."

Coventry next face second placed Middlesbrough who could be above them by the time they meet on 16 February.

Carl Rushworth hopes to make his Premier League ambitions come true, and would love for it to be with Coventry City.

The 24-year-old goalkeeper has been with Brighton since 2019 but has never played a first-team game for the Seagulls.

However, he is closing in on 200 career appearances after spells on loan with Worthing, Walsall, Lincoln, Swansea, Hull and now the Sky Blues, for whom he has kept nine clean sheets in 29 league appearances.

Rushworth told BBC CWR: "It's been better than I expected. I have always known we'd be successful, but to this level, I didn't know."

Amid speculation about his future, the one-time England Under-21 international added: "I've always wanted to play in the Premier League and playing for England would be the cherry on top.

"If we make history and are in the Premier League next season, if the option was there I'd 100% love to be here - I love everything about the club."

Rushworth's last clean sheet came on Boxing Day, having conceded in eight games in all competitions since then as the Sky Blues' 10-point lead at the top was wiped out with a run of 15 points from a dozen league games.

Rushworth said: "Nothing really changes in terms of mentality. We know how difficult this league is and we have to take each game as it comes.

"The final 16 games are 'cup finals'. Everybody is on the same page, everybody knows what we want to achieve together as a group.

"We know we've been in a difficult spell but the togetherness is just as high as it was when we were on a streak of winning games.

"I'm not concerned. I think we just need to get back to playing freely how we were, get a bit of confidence back.

"We're top of the league, we have nine clean sheets, we're going through a tough spell but we've put ourselves in a really good position.

"We're hoping to go on another run and finish the season strong."

Frank Lampard says Coventry need to do their talking on the pitch as they "start again" in the Championship title race.

The Sky Blues have seen a 10-point lead at the top wiped out after a run of 15 points from 12 games since the start of December - five of them defeats, including in their past two games at Norwich and QPR.

Middlesbrough are now level on points at the summit with third-placed Hull four points back and Ipswich, in fourth, seven behind with a game in hand.

Speaking ahead of the visit of struggling Oxford to the CBS Arena on Saturday (15:01 GMT), Lampard told BBC CWR: "There's something about this period where the gap's changed, maybe that's a check for everyone.

"In this period where we've had that little difficult moment, we've certainly dropped a bit, other teams are fighting, there's loads of context to that.

"We just have to be focused on our job. We have to get our job right. That's it."

Lampard said he was used to pressure from his playing career and spells as a manager with Derby, Everton and Chelsea twice.

"I've been in this game a long time," he said. "It's my job to stay calm and find the right moment to inject some emotion but also come in with a smile, with enjoyment.

"We can't forget what got us here, which is fantastic spirit and high-quality play.

"We have to focus on ourselves, don't listen to too much noise, don't get too up or too down, if we do that his group has shown they can absolutely compete.

"The lads have done brilliantly to get to this point. We've done it with a smaller squad, did we hit a bit of fatigue, yes.

"We start again, we have a competitive group, we have to work and then we have to do our talking come game day."

Lampard hopes to have deadline-day arrival from Brentford, Frank Onyeka, involved.

"He can bring a mentality and quality to the group which will be helpful. His wife is due to have a baby at any moment. We're managing that situation as it stands. I'm hopeful he will be involved because we've brought him in to be involved," the manager said.

Lampard said Ephron Mason-Clark's foot injury sustained at QPR is "not hugely significant" and should he miss Saturday's game he should return for Middlesbrough the following weekend.

Coventry have seen their 10-point lead at the top of the Championship whittled away over the past two months and the Sky Blues could lose top spot if they fail to beat Oxford United and Middlesbrough win on Monday.

The U's have won only three away league games so far this season but their last victory on the road did come a fortnight ago at Leicester City.

• Coventry are unbeaten in their past four league games against Oxford (W2 D2), with both teams scoring at least twice in all four of those meetings.

• Oxford have lost five of their six away league games against Coventry, with the exception being a 1-0 victory in League One in March 2019.

• Coventry have lost their past two league games, their worst streak since losing three consecutive games in the same campaign in April 2024 (3).

• Oxford have won just three of their past 18 league games (D6 L9), with all three being 2-1 victories against teams relegated from the Premier League last season (Ipswich, Southampton and Leicester).

• Coventry are the only side with three players to score 10+ goals in the Championship this season (Brandon Thomas-Asante, Ellis Simms and Haji Wright). It's the first time the Sky Blues have had 3+ players reach double figures in a second tier campaign since 2005-06 (Gary McSheffrey, Dele Adebola, Stern John).

"That [Onyeka] is a really good signing for us to get. Brentford's loss is our gain."

The transfer window was the main topic of discussion on this week's Sky Blues Fancast but did Coventry City impress with their winter signings?

Fans had their say on deadline day signing Frank Onyeka from Brentford and whether the new additions can help fix the Sky Blues' away day troubles.

Listen to the full episode and more Coventry City content on BBC Sounds.

Rob Gurney
BBC CWR

Image source, Getty Images

On the face of it, Frank Onyeka is exactly what Coventry need right now.

He is not nicknamed 'The Tank' without good reason. Stemming the flow of passes through midfield is what is required, especially away from home, and giving the overworked Matt Grimes some badly needed assistance which, in turn, should ease the pressure on the defenders behind them.

For me, there is still a case for playing three centre-backs away from home, where results have been very hard to come by since November.

Seventeen points dropped from winning positions on their travels - 12 of those in December and January - is clearly far too many for a club with automatic promotion aspirations, more so given the glut of goals they were scoring in October and November (32) has not been replicated in the subsequent two months (13).

The two loan wingers, Romain Esse and Yang Min-Hyeok, have had varying levels of impact so far. Esse has all the technical ability to make himself a top performer at Premier League level, while Yang needs more minutes before a proper appraisal of his talents can be made.

Jahnoah Markelo fits the brief of a young player with potential who can come in and make a favourable impression and, from owner Doug King's perspective, someone who can then generate a profit.

Frank Lampard's man-management and his players' in-game management will undoubtedly be tested in the next three months. After such an impressive start to the season, the object of the exercise now is to have enough confidence and resolve to complete the job they started.

In the words of the 1987 FA Cup Final song - Go For It City! It is certainly the best opportunity they have had in 25 years for automatic promotion back to the Premier League.

Image source, Getty Images

Today is the final chance of the season for your Championship team to do transfer business.

The window closes at 19:00 GMT, meaning teams - and fans - can avoid the usual late-night transfer scramble.

It has already been a busy window - for some teams anyway - but whether it turns out to be a day of transfer action or a pretty quiet one for your club, you will be able to keep across it all on BBC Sport.

Follow our live text coverage throughout the day here

Charlotte Richardson
Final Score reporter

Image source, Getty Images

The Championship is one rollercoaster of a division. My advice? Buckle up and enjoy the topsy turvy ride.

The Sky Blues squandered their lead, dropping more costly away points and inviting Middlesbrough to join them level at the summit.

QPR are suffering with so many injuries but having been wounded by injury time defeat last Saturday, they displayed grit and resilience. Two great goals and a deserved three points.

The home fans stayed late after the whistle, enjoying the buoyant mood. A week is a long time in football, even longer in the Championship.

Image source, PA Media

Coventry City manager Frank Lampard admits his side are in a "difficult moment" after seeing their lead at the top of the Championship disappear.

The Sky Blues' 2-1 loss at Queens Park Rangers saw them stay top of the table but they are now level on points with second-placed Middlesbrough.

Lampard's side had been 10 points clear when they beat Boro in November, but a run that has seen Coventry fail to win any of their last seven away games has seen that lead evaporate.

"What we must do now is keep positive, look to the next one. We're in a difficult moment, it's clear, a difficult moment and we're top of the league," told BBC Radio Coventry and Warwickshire.

"We know that gap's gone now, so it's a race from now and we have to pick ourselves up very quickly."

Lampard's side had gone ahead thanks to Josh Eccles' header before goals from Richard Kone and Nicolas Madsen secured a memorable win for the hosts - who had been beaten 7-1 by Coventry earlier this season.

"We didn't deal with the messy parts of the game well enough, second balls a little bit, a few duels and get punished for it," he added.

"It's a great goal, great header from Josh, great ball from Rudy. The feeling was on this pitch against a difficult opponent it was going to be a tough game and there wasn't much in it before that, so it's a great goal to get us in front and you fancy us a little bit.

"But again when there's mess in games and the second balls and balls dropping and we don't deal with them, they end up going in behind us and we're late on some things and then you get punished."

Frank Lampard believes Coventry's high standards in the first half of this season mean they are being judged by unrealistic expectations.

The Sky Blues took 43 points from their opening 18 Championship games and have topped the table since early October, but 15 points from the past 11 matches has seen the chasing pack close the gap at the top from 10 points to just three.

Monday's defeat at Norwich made it seven away games in all competitions without a win, a run dating back to November, but Lampard says his side are being judged by "unsustainable" standards they set in the first four months of the season.

He told BBC CWR: "We have got to be careful to understand where we are at, where we sit in the table is due to our hard work.

"If we'd continued our form from November (until the end of the season) we'd have ended up on 112 points or something - it's not a reality.

"Football games and periods come around that are challenging, they do to every team, whether you are a parachute team or not, like us.

"It's important to have the right perspective. Negativity on and off the pitch can be negative, it's important to be positive, that's where I'm at."

Asked about a "difficult time" for the club, Lampard added: "If you call 'a difficult time' winning against Leicester and Millwall and losing at Norwich, maybe that's down to the standards we have set this season.

"Norwich clearly wasn't our best day but there have been a lot of good days, we just have to get back at it."

Asked about a possible shift in formation at the back or in midfield, Lampard said "it's my job to think about it".

Coventry thumped Saturday's hosts QPR 7-1 at the CBS Arena in August but Lampard insisted: "That bears no relation. We played very well, it was a tough day for them, they reacted very well. They have got results through the season, a very good coach, players, atmosphere. I understand how tough it's going to be.

"Nothing is going to guarantee you winning this league but we have to give the best version of ourselves."

Jack Rudoni is back from a thigh injury while Lampard described 23-year-old winger Jahnoah Markelo as "one for the future" though "if he can help us in the short term that would be great too. We just need to get him match-fit".

Lampard would not be drawn on more incomings before Monday's transfer deadline, though added: "We're aware the market is open, we'll see. If there's something that we felt would help the squad, that could happen, if not, we have got our squad, on we go."