Sunderland v Coventry Prediction and Betting Tip - Odds, H2H and Preview Predictions

Sunderland vs Coventry City Preview

The playoffs are well and truly underway across the English Football League, and after the full-time whistle blew on some entertaining Championship first-leg affairs, suspense and tension has heightened amongst some, whilst confidence and countering dismay have been instilled in others.

Our story today regards a clash with plenty still available to play for. An 88th minute first-leg winner by Eliezer Mayenda gave Sunderland a one-goal advantage in their semi-final mission against Coventry City last Friday night, but there is still plenty of time for further play-off drama to encapsulate the nation.

Key Statistics

• Sunderland hold the advantage going into this play-off second leg, having defeated Coventry 2-1 away from home in the first leg
• Following a run of 5 straight defeats to round off the regular season, the Black Cats will be thankful to break duck with a successful start, but will be wary of a comeback
• Frank Lampard's Coventry side have been a great side to watch, especially during a run from mid-February wherein they won 6 games from 7 to solidify their play-off aspirations
• Jack Rudoni, with 8 goals to his name in the regular season, bagged an initial equaliser in the first leg, and will be one to keep an eye on come Tuesday

Sunderland Preview

Sunderland Predicted Starting Line-up: Patterson, Hume, O'Nien, Ballard, Cirkin, Neil, Bellingham, Roberts, Le Fee, Mayenda, Isidor Though Sunderland had to weather a Sky Blue storm to secure their one-goal advantage for Tuesday, The Black Cats will be encouraged by the spirit on display as they ran out 2-1 winners in Coventry.

Daniel Ballard, a surprise inclusion to the starting XI in place of Chris Mepham, had a masterclass at the back to help withstand a Coventry side who dominated possession, whilst Wilson Isidor managed to break a 13-game goalless run to hand the initial lead to the away side on Friday.

Despite the goals, Sunderland weren't particularly convincing going forwards. Their defensive shape was superb, with a regimented and organised midfield and defence singing the same tune to keep the Sky Blues out through their ball-dominance, but they only saw 26% of the possession and scored from their only 2 big chances, with the second being gifted to them by the Coventry defence.

However, the only stat that truly matters is the scoreline, and Sunderland will be encouraged by having broken their winless streak against heavy pressure, taking the advantage back to the Stadium of Light on Tuesday.

With regards to Sunderland's availability, they are stretched thinner than their opponents. Left-back Ajibola-Joshua Alese remains sidelined after breaking his leg against Stoke City in January, whilst Niall Huggins, on the other defensive flank, has been out with a groin injury since December.

Regis Le Bris confirmed that Liverpool starlet Jayden Danns, on loan in the North East, will not feature for the club this season, having failed to play a single minute for the club after a back injury shortly after his February arrival. Romain Mundle will also be a likely miss, having remained out to date after going off injured in a 1-0 win over West Brom at the start of April.

Finally, tricky winger Ian Poveda will be unlikely to make a return to action after a leg injury that has kept him out since February.

Coventry City Preview

Coventry City Predicted Starting Line-up: Wilson; Van Ewijk, Thomas, Kitching, Da Silva, Grimes, Sheaf, Sakamoto, Rudoni, Wright, Simms Frank Lampard may have been encouraged by the dominance in possession displayed by his Sky Blues in the first leg, but will be disappointed that it didn't count for a more positive result.

Sunderland's well-regimented setup ensured that Coventry were unable to make proper use of their hefty possession, being limited to just the one clear-cut chance, albeit one that was taken by Jack Rudoni. Despite their efforts, Sunderland's organisation and resilience helped them on their way to a first win over Coventry since 2008, at their 11th consecutive attempt.

Frank Lampard, however, is no stranger to performing play-off comebacks. Few will soon forget the encounter between his Derby County side and Leeds United at Elland Road, way back in 2019 during Lampard's first managerial campaign, wherein The Rams claimed a staggering 4-2 win on the day to make it to Wembley on a 4-3 aggregate, having been a goal behind from the first leg.

Lampard and his men will be hoping to derive similar inspiration, but will need to find a way to breakthrough Sunderland's spirit and organisation in order to do so.

Coventry have a bit more availability when it comes to injury issues, with only Victor Torp, Norman Bassette and Oliver Dovin remaining sidelined for the Sky Blues.

Sunderland vs Coventry Head-to-Head

Last 5 meetings:

• Coventry 1-2 Sunderland - Championship Playoffs - 09/05/25
• Coventry 3-0 Sunderland - Championship - 15/03/25
• Sunderland 2-2 Coventry - Championship - 09/11/24
• Sunderland 0-3 Coventry - Championship - 23/12/23
• Coventry 0-0 Sunderland - Championship - 26/08/23

Sunderland vs Coventry Betting Tip

With tension and drama likely reaching a peak in this fixture, we can see a similar story coming through from the first leg, but for potentially different reasons.

We can see Coventry, fuelled with desperation to get themselves back into the tie, cracking through Sunderland and grabbing a goal, but we can sense The Black Cats getting another in response on their way to Wembley.

That's why we are going to go for Both Teams to Score - Yes as our tip for this fixture. You can grab this price at a tempting 10/11 from Betfred, meaning a £10 stake will return £19.09!

Sunderland vs Coventry Prediction

Sunderland 1-1 Coventry We expect Coventry to put up a fight, but Sunderland will have another goal in them to seal their spot against Wembley.

Where to Watch

You can catch all the action, in the UK, on Sky Sports Main Event. Kick-off for this tie is at 8pm on Tuesday, 13/05/25 at the Stadium of Light, Sunderland.