Preview: Coventry vs. Fulham · prediction, team news, line-ups

Coventry host Fulham at the Coventry Building Society Arena on Saturday 24 October, with kick-off at 3pm BST, in Premier League Gameweek 8.

The Sky Blues sit 17th on six points, while the Cottagers are 18th on five, with both sides having played seven games.

Match preview

Coventry arrive with six points from seven games and a goal difference of minus eight, the worst of the two sides. Their season has swung between a 4-1 win over Newcastle and a 5-0 home defeat to Brighton.

At home they have won one and lost two from three, scoring four and conceding seven. Defence is the problem, with only one clean sheet in nine matches across all competitions.

On Monday they lost 3-1 at Tottenham Hotspur, having previously beaten Newcastle 4-1 and won 1-0 at Nottingham Forest. In the League Cup they went down 3-1 to Aston Villa.

Jack Rudoni equalised in London, set up by Brandon Thomas-Asante. He remains the main source of late runs for Frank Lampard's side.

Fulham have five points and a goal difference of minus three. They ended a poor start with a 1-0 win over Hull City, their first league victory of the season and Alvaro Arbeloa's first in the Premier League as manager.

Before that they lost 2-1 to Ipswich and drew 1-1 with Manchester United and 0-0 with Liverpool. In the League Cup they beat West Ham 3-2.

Away from home the Cottagers are still searching for a win, with one draw and two defeats from three trips, scoring once and conceding three. That record leaves little room for error.

Their backline has tightened since David Affengruber replaced Joachim Andersen. They conceded seven in the first three games and only three in the last four.

The head-to-head record favours the hosts. The sides have met twice, both in the 2021-22 Championship, and Coventry won both: 4-1 at home in October 2021 and 3-1 at Fulham in April 2022.

This is a direct relegation battle. One point separates the clubs, with Coventry just above the drop zone and Fulham inside it.

Team news

Coventry remain without four players: Aurele Amenda (calf), Josh Eccles (injury), Luke Woolfenden (knee) and Haji Wright (muscle problem). None of the quartet is expected back for this fixture.

Lampard is unlikely to alter his 4-2-3-1. Rushworth, Van Ewijk, Thomas, Pinnock and Dasilva should line up again, with Yirenkyi and Grimes in midfield. Sources differ up front, with some naming Taiwo Awoniyi and others Sidiki Cherif.

For Fulham, Ryan Sessegnon is suspended after his stoppage-time red card against Hull City. Hugo Larsson is doubtful with a groin problem.

Arbeloa could name the same side that beat Hull: Leno; Castagne, Affengruber, Bassey and Robinson; Berge and Charles; Bobb, King and Iwobi; with Gonzalo Garcia leading the line. Sessegnon's absence leaves Antonee Robinson a clear run at left-back.