Coventry City

Image source, Opta

Championship leaders Coventry City host Millwall in an important clash in the race for promotion on Tuesday night (19:45 GMT kick-off).

The Sky Blues picked up just their second win in six games last time out against Leicester to maintain their six-point lead over Middlesbrough in second.

The Lions are unbeaten in their past five (W3 D2) and are just three points behind Boro.

• Coventry City have won five of their past six league meetings with Millwall (D1), keeping five clean sheets in these six encounters.

• Millwall have failed to score in their past three Championship matches against Coventry, but have never gone four successive league meetings with the Sky Blues without a goal.

• Coventry are unbeaten in their previous seven league games played in midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday), winning five and drawing two since a 0-2 defeat to Derby in March 2025.

• Millwall have only managed to win three of their past 21 away league games played in midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday), drawing nine and losing nine in this time.

• Against no side in his league career for Coventry has Haji Wright scored more goals than he has against Millwall (4, level with Sunderland), netting a double in both of his previous two Championship matches against the Lions.

Coventry City are diverting striker Justin Obikwu to Queens Park Rangers in an initial deal worth £500,000 after recalling the 21-year-old from a loan spell with League One side Lincoln City. (Coventry Telegraph), external

Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Monday's gossip column here.

Frank Lampard was delighted with his Coventry City side's second-half response as they came from behind to beat M69 rivals Leicester City and maintain their six-point lead at the top of the Championship.

Haji Wright tapped in the winner with just five minutes remaining to secure the three points for the Sky Blues, who had trailed to an early Jordan James goal before levelling through Ellis Simms.

Things haven't been quite so smooth in recent weeks for Coventry, and Lampard was understandably pleased by his side's reaction to falling behind.

Lampard told BBC CWR: "There was a great atmosphere from start to finish. It was tough in the first half, because they gave us some problems and they get their goal.

"They're a good team, with good individuals and their league position isn't the reality when they play like that. They gave us issues, but to turn the game around like that is a big pleasure.

"It's a good feeling for the group, because we had to tactically change some bits off the ball, but the big thing was overcoming the tension and the feeling of what the first half was, to reiterate to the players why they are where they are, at the top of the league, because of the work they've done and the quality they've got.

"They went out and responded, which was brilliant - and hence, the atmosphere in the stadium at the end of the game."

Coventry City striker Brandon Thomas-Asante could make his return during their Saturday's derby match against Leicester City (12:30 GMT), boss Frank Lampard has confirmed.

The Ghana international has missed nine Championship games with a hamstring tear, but remains the side's top scorer with 10 goals.

Meanwhile, midfielder Victor Torp is also in contention to make a return after missing two league games with a calf strain.

The Sky Blues are currently going through a difficult spell, failing to win their past three Championship games (D1 L2) as well as being knocked out of the FA Cup by Stoke City.

However, Lampard believes the league leaders shouldn't be too worried just yet.

"We've lost minimal games this season so maybe we've become a little more normal around this busy patch, but I know the context around that so let's try to get back to the team we were before," Lampard told BBC Radio CWR.

"It's very normal over the course of this season. There's not many teams that have steamrollered this league from start to end. So we just want to win a game."

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

Coventry head into Saturday's game (12:30 GMT) looking to avoid going three games without a league win for the third time this season.

Leicester are aiming for back-to-back league victories, also for the third time this season as the look to climb back into the Championship's top 10.

• Coventry have won just one of their past nine league games against Leicester (D5 L3). That sole victory came in this exact fixture in the 2023-24 season (3-1).

• Leicester have won just one of their past eight away league games against Coventry (D5 L2), winning 1-0 on the opening day of the 2011-12 season.

• Coventry have won just two of their past eight Championship matches (D3 L3) and since the start of December they have won the joint 15th most points (9) and only four teams have scored fewer goals than the Sky Blues (7).

• Leicester have not kept a clean sheet in any of their past 20 Championship matches, the longest ongoing run of any side. It is their worst run outside the top flight since going 27 without a shutout between September 1948 and April 1949.

• Coventry's Matt Grimes has created the most chances in the Championship this season (57), with 36 of those from set plays which is 14 more than any other player. He also ranks second, behind Stoke's Sorba Thomas, for passes played into the opposition penalty area (228).

"Out of the FA Cup... are we bovvered? Not really. It was an average performance but the old 'focus on the league' quote is coming out early.

"I think probably it's the one season where the consensus among a lot of Sky Blues fans is that it's not the end of the world being knocked-out."

BBC Radio CWR's Lorna Bailey and Will Oelrich are joined by Coventry City fans Connor and Anthony as they look back at the FA Cup defeat at Stoke, hear the thoughts of Sky Blues legend Steve Ogrizovic and discuss the latest transfer rumours.

Listen to the full episode of the Sky Blues fancast and more Coventry City content on BBC Sounds.

Pundits Dion Dublin and Rob Green join host Jason Mohammad to bring you the action and talking points from Friday and Saturday's FA Cup ties.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Wrexham 3-3 (4-3 pens) Nottingham Forest

• Preston North End 0-1 Wigan

• Macclesfield Town 2-1 Crystal Palace

• Everton 1-1 (0-3 pens) Sunderland

• Wolves 6-1 Shrewsbury Town

• Fulham 3-1 Middlesbrough

• Manchester City 10-1 Exeter City

• Newcastle 3-3 (7-6 pens) Bournemouth

• Stoke City 1-0 Coventry City

• Tottenham 1-2 Aston Villa

• Bristol City 5-1 Watford

• Cambridge United 2-3 Birmingham City

• Charlton 1-5 Chelsea

Image source, Getty Images

Coventry City boss Frank Lampard says his side's focus is on getting promoted to the Premier League after their FA Cup defeat.

The Sky Blues boss made eight changes for the 1-0 defeat at Stoke City with debuts for Romain Esse and Yang Min-Hyeok.

Lamine Cisse's late wonder goal fired Stoke City into the fourth round to leave Coventry to concentrate on their six-point lead at the top of the Championship.

"It was a pretty tight game on the face of it," told BBC CWR.

"I think we played the better football, had a lot of possession and some really good individual performances with eight changes and the new boys coming in.

"That had to happen today because we need to see the new boys play - it's good for them to get minutes and for some players that haven't played so regularly.

"We wanted to win the game, we had incredible support today, everyone wants a run in the FA Cup and it's disappointing not to be there but it shows where our focus is now and it's on 20 league games."

There are 18 third-round ties in the FA Cup on Saturday - 16 involving Premier League and Championship teams, who all enter the competition at this stage - and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Cheltenham v Leicester (12:15) - BBC Radio Leicester

• Everton v Sunderland (12:15) - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2

• Macclesfield v Crystal Palace (12:15) - BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 5 Live & BBC Radio Manchester

• Wolves v Shrewsbury (12:15) - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 3 & BBC Radio WM

• Boreham Wood v Burton Albion

• Burnley v Millwall - BBC Radio London

• Doncaster v Southampton - BBC Radio Solent

• Fulham v Middlesbrough - BBC Radio 5 Live

• Ipswich v Blackpool - BBC Radio Suffolk

• Man City v Exeter City - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Newcastle v Bournemouth - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2 & BBC Radio Newcastle

• Salford P-P Swindon

• Sheff Wed v Brentford

• Stoke v Coventry - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 3, BBC Radio Stoke & BBC Radio CWR

• Bristol City v Watford (17:45) - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Radio Bristol and BBC Three Counties Radio

• Cambridge United v Birmingham (17:45) - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2

• Grimsby v Weston (17:45)

• Tottenham v Aston Villa (17:45) - BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio London

• Charlton v Chelsea (20:00) - BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio London

Kick-off times 15:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

And find out how to follow the FA Cup across the BBC this weekend here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Fulham v Middlesbrough" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Tottenham v Aston Villa", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to football on BBC Sounds

Coventry City boss Frank Lampard says new loan signings Romain Esse and Yang Min-hyeok are "fit, fresh and ready" to play in the FA Cup third round tie at Stoke City on Saturday.

The Sky Blues have bolstered the squad by bringing in wingers Esse and Yang from Premier League sides Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur respectively.

"I'm very happy we've done our business early with Romain and Minny," Lampard told BBC CWR.

"An area of the squad we knew we needed to strengthen. We've got good players in wide areas but we know we play them a lot.

"It's an area where there is a lot of high intensity needed to be on top of your game, to have impact. I'm very happy with the players.

"He [Esse] is very hungry to come in and do well. That's the sort of players I want. They will offer us a lot."

Lampard said the club will have to "wait and see" whether there will be any more arrivals in the January transfer window.

"There is a long way to go in the window," he said. "I think if we can help the squad to make it stronger, it's something we will and should look at."

In other positive team news for Coventry, Lampard confirmed that top goalscorer Brandon Thomas-Asante, who has netted 10 times this season, is "very close" to a return after missing the past nine games with a hamstring injury.

Meanwhile, Victor Torp is on track to be back for the Leicester game in the Championship on 17 January, but Kaine Kesler-Hayden is expected to be out for several weeks.

Lampard said he loves the FA Cup and understands how important it is to try to win every game.

"I understand the passion of it, what it means to the fans," he added. "I remember one of my first FA Cup memories was watching Coventry win the FA Cup [in 1987]."

Former Sky Blues captain Terry Yorath died at the age of 75 on Thursday morning.

Yorath played for Leeds United, Coventry City from 1976 to 1979 and Tottenham Hotspur, skippered Wales in 42 of his 59 international appearances and later managed the national team in addition to taking charge of Swansea City, Bradford City, Cardiff City and Sheffield Wednesday.

A statement from the Sky Blues, external said: "Everyone at Coventry City is deeply saddened to hear of the passing of former Sky Blues midfielder Terry Yorath at the age of 75.

"Our thoughts are with Terry's family and friends at this sad time. Rest in peace, Terry."

BBC CWR's Rob Gurney looks back at his life here.

"The question now is how quick can they get out of it and get back to winning ways?

"There is no doubt about it, the longer it goes on the question marks start slipping in - are players going 'are we going to get caught?' where for so long it seemed like it was Coventry's and Coventry's only."

The 72+ team dissect league leaders Coventry City's blip after a third successive winless game in the Championship and what they need to do to get to the other side unscathed.

Listen to the full episode of the 72+ podcast and more on BBC Sounds.