'Coventry Looking Good To Push On This Season'
- Coventry City host Leicester City at the Coventry Building Society Arena on Saturday
- Sky Bet Championship leaders Leicester face play-off chasing Coventry
- Andy Turner from Coventry Live has provided the lowdown on Mark Robins' Sky Blues
- He believes the club is well placed for a late dash into the promotion picture
The Foxes hold the bragging rights from the season's first clash between these two sides as Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall's brace sealed a late 2-1 victory at King Power Stadium on the opening day.
With Enzo Maresca's men riding high at the Sky Bet Championship summit, Leicester go into this return fixture at the Coventry Building Society Arena as favourites.
However, Coventry have enjoyed some positive form of their own over the winter period, unbeaten since 2 December, winning four times last month, picking up an admirable draw at Leeds United, and progressing in the Emirates FA Cup.
That form has positioned Mark Robins' Sky Blues on the outskirts of the play-off picture, sitting ninth and just three points from a place in the division's top six.
All the ingredients are there for Saturday's 12:30pm GMT kick-off to be another thrilling encounter of two sides with sights set on the Premier League.
"I guess it’s no surprise that they had a bit of a sluggish start given the huge turnaround in players over the summer," Turner said this week.
"Eleven came in and 14 went out. Included in that 14 crucially were Viktor Gyökeres and Gustavo Hamer who were their standout players. It’s difficult, when you’re rebuilding a side, to get them to gel.
"The club have bought wisely and brought in some really good players. They spent a bit of money with the funds they got from those two players.
"I think there were a few question marks early in the season, but those players have all started to grow into the side and gel. Things are coming together nicely.
"They’ve had a fantastic Christmas and it sets them up nicely for the last 20 league games. They’ve hit a bit of momentum and that continued in the FA Cup. Everybody’s looking forward positively to the last part of the season."
Similarly to last season, patience has once again been the order of the day for Coventry fans this term, with their side emerging from a tough start to now be well placed for a promotion push.
Only a penalty shootout defeat in the 2022/23 play-off final denied them a return to the Premier League for the first time since 2001.
"The majority of the sensible fans had faith that things would come together," Turner added. You’re always going to get a small minority that get impatient and worry that the wheels have come off and things are going to go horribly wrong.
"Time and time again Robins have shown that he knows what he’s doing. That’s why he’s been there for seven years. As the team has evolved, he’s made big changes, and he’s recruited well.
"They’ve improved incrementally over those years and now they’re in a position where they’re knocking on the door of a return to the Premier League for the second season in a row.
"That’s what the new owner has demanded. He wanted a top-six finish, a play-off push, in three of his five seasons since Doug King took over the club – and he’s done that in his first.
"Nobody really expected that last season, it came out of the blue. He’s got one in the bag if you like. They’re looking good to push on this season.
"Whether they make it or not remains to be seen. There’s still a lot of football to be played but they’ve given themselves a really good chance."
There will, of course, be a spice to Saturday's match in Coventry with two local foes battling it out for points. Turner says excitement is building among the fans ahead of the match.
"They love this fixture," he explained. "Being local rivals, Leicester City is always an exciting one for the fans. Coventry see Leicester as strong rivals and I think that rivalry is reciprocated come the matchdays.
"I’m sure the players will keen to capitalise on their good form and momentum at the moment.
"There’s a fantastic home atmosphere and they’re averaging crowds of around 24-25,000 and I’m sure it’ll be a sell-out with Leicester filling their allocation.
"So the atmosphere will be amazing and they’re playing well at home. Expectations will be high and there’s plenty of excitement heading into the game."