Match Day Thread Coventry City v Sunderland AFC – Play-off Semi Final 1st Leg - Friday 9th May 2025 - KO 20:00

Sunderland visit Coventry in the first leg of the Championship play-off semi-final.
Last time out Sunderland lost at home to QPR and Coventry beat Middlesbrough.
Sunderland lost their fifth game in a row against a QPR team with little to play for. The Black Cats started with a strong team selection but lost 1-0. Nicolas Madsen scored for QPR inside the first five minutes with an emphatic finish after a good team move.
Dennis Cirkin played the full 90 and Dan Ballard played 30 minutes off the bench after recovering from injury. Romaine Mundle should be available but is expected to be on the subs bench.
Coventry moved up to 5th place with a 2-0 home victory that also ended Middlesbrough’s fading play-off hopes. Two goals at the end of each half from Jack Rudoni saw Coventry move above Bristol City. But the Sky Blues were also indebted to recalled goalkeeper Ben Wilson for victory as he made crucial saves to preserve his side's advantage.
Regis le Bris:
"It's the end of the testing period. After the first goal, we had some good periods but we were not able to create danger in the final third.
"At the end of the game with many players in the box and crosses, it was really difficult to find a solution.
"It was about the last cross, decision making, the players in the box, the clinical finishing.
"It was the case today in another scenario where we have to run after something but unfortunately we didn't find the solution."
Press conference:

Frank Lampard:
"It's great work from everyone involved. It's tense – it's a long week going into the game. We've got ourselves into this position but it's one game and anything can happen.
"Our performance was brilliant in the first half, though Middlesbrough had their chances.
"We stayed focused though, and I really felt the power of us in the second half. We were brilliant on the counter-attack and showed great desire to defend our box.
"I'm really delighted we've got there and now we've got to take a breath and understand that it's a step. Now we have to recover and go again for Sunderland."
Form:


Head to Head



Match Appointments
Referee: JOHN BUSBY
Assistant referees: Mark Russell & Sam Lewis
Fourth official: James Linington

Team Lineups:
Sunderland AFC: (4-2-3-1) Patterson, Cirkin, O’Nien, Mepham, Hume, Neil, Jobe, Le Fee, Watson, Isidor, Mayenda

Subs: Moore, Browne, Ballard, Aleksic, Samed, Jones, Rigg, Roberts, Mundle.
Injured: Danns, Abdullahi, Poveda, Huggins, Alese.

Coventry City: (4-2-3-1) Wilson, van Ewijk, Thomas, Kitching, Bidwell, Grimes, Sheaf, Sakamoto, Rudoni, Wright, Simms
Subs: Collins, Allen, Binks, Borgas Rodrigues, Eccles, Latibeaudiere, Moore, Paterson, Thomas-Asante.
Injured: Dovin, Mason-Clark

Betting Odds:
Sunderland 7/2 Coventry 11/5 Draw 3/1

My two pence:
Another poor performance in front of our home crowd but surely we have to perform in these next two games after reaching the play-offs.
I trust that Regis has them totally focussed on the here and now. If we keep it tight or within a single goal I think we can finish them off at the Sol.
Coventry dropped their keeper prior to the Boro game and ex Sunderland keeper Ben Wilson stepped up to play an absolute blinder. We don’t have the best record against Coventry but they have shown that they can be beaten, losing to both Luton and Plymouth.
I’m going to both semi-finals so hopefully we play the way we did in the opening games of the season, high press, quick passing and clinical finishing.
I’m going for a 2-1 away win.

Live Stream:
Live on Sky Sports Football
https://www.safc.com/live

Ha’way the Lads

 

We are going to come racing out the blocks, keep it tight for 20 minutes then batter them.

Friday can't come quick enough.

 

It will be tighter than we maybe think. I fully expect our team to be fully up for this. Single goal defeat or better would be a superb outcome.

 

Nice and early, thank you @RTB

Think we'll try and be defensively solid and hit on the counter. I think RLB would be happy with a draw but personally i'd even be fine with a 1 goal deficit, we just need to be in the tie come Tuesday.

Would go with;
Patterson
Hume Mepham O'Nien Cirkin
ELF Neil Jobe
Watson Mayenda Mundle (if fit)

0-1. Watson.

 

2-0 home win and a mountain to climb at the SoL is my prediction. Really hope the lads surprise us but it’ll take some effort after weeks of piss poor performances

I’d go with Isidor and Mayenda both to start but fully expecting this from RLB:

Patterson
Hume - Mepham - O’Nien - Cirkin
Rigg - Neil - Jobe
Roberts - Mayenda - LeFee​

 

Been told of a pub that shows Sunderland games in Keswick so will be watching there

would take scrappy 1-1 /2-1 thing now.

use the SOL as fortress

 

Would be absolutely over the moon with a rancid 0-0 without us even trying to win the game

See Leeds last season in the play-offs at Norwich first leg…

 

It's live on Sky so should be on in most sports bars

 

It's on in our local and the plan is for 10 or so of us to watch it there

 

According to my dads cousin, it’s a Sunderland supporters pub

 

We've been great at keeping games close and we've been in pretty much every game this season, same again please. You can't win the tie in the first leg but you can certainly lose it.

 

Absolutely brilliant thread yet again mate, hope you have a cracking time down there.

It struck me that the players have been ridiculously composed and upbeat in the interviews this week.

They're so cool it's made me start to believe people are right with all the rope-a-dope stuff ...

... I think the players are giving the game away tbh, why are they so chipper if it's all going wrong?

 

First 20 minutes, keep it tight and frustrate them, then pick the pace up and hammer them as they have to push forward.

We know the lads are capable, Friday is the night to prove it

 

sneaky 2-1 win lads have got to be up 100% for it hopefully 2 more match day threads for RTB to do

 

Yep. We've earned the right to have the 2nd leg at home so we have to use that.

We seen first hand against Luton that a 1 goal advantage is nothing, Coventry will be going for the jugular from the off so as you say we need to frustrate them and let the crowd get agitated.

 

Didn’t realise how strong they’d been at home recently

7 wins from their last 8 with 5 clean sheets

Only Burnley won there in that time but they’re a class above

 

I feel strangely calm about these playoffs a proper what will be will be attitude at the minute, probably be ****ting myself ahead of kick off like, keep it tight and get them back to the SOL with it all the play for

 

I suspect their fans will see our recent form and expect them to roll us over, we need calm heads as I'm expecting a barrage.

Get through that first bit and then pick them apart

 

I always remember that Sheff Wed fan who ripped up his ticket for the return leg when they got beat 4-0 at Peterborough

 

About time we beat them.

18 years ago.. that records needs to go.