Sunderland v Coventry

The Stadium of Light is ready for another play-off semi-final. This is the fifth time in seven seasons that the Wearsiders will host one of these matches, with two out of the previous four seeing Sunderland through to the final.

Coventry are also experienced in the Championship play-offs themselves, having been in the play-off final in 2023. The Sky Blues will have to come from behind here to reach the final again.

⭐ Sunderland v Coventry Best Bet

Coventry to have the Most Shots @ 2.50 on bet365

The percentage of away teams with a single-goal lead going into their home leg and then qualifying stands at 77% through play-off history.

This suggests that, unsurprisingly, Sunderland have a strong chance of qualifying, but they only need a draw to do so; even a single-goal defeat gives them a chance in extra time and penalties.

Keeping in mind the first leg, Regis Le Bris is going to be tempted to reproduce that game plan for this leg, given these permutations.

If that is the case, then Coventry can be expected to have more of the ball, and this would suggest that they could have the greatest shot volume as well. Sunderland will be dangerous on the break, and if Coventry score first, then things could change, but the 2.50 available on Coventry to outshoot Sunderland looks excellent value given the circumstances.

👕 Sunderland v Coventry Predicted XI

🔍 Sunderland v Coventry Players to Watch

🔵 Jack Rudoni

Rudoni was a standout in the first leg, playing multiple roles to try and help his team.

Rudoni scored a great header, but also had two other shots to his name in the match, which adds to the four shots he totalled on the regular season final day.

Coventry need at least one goal here to have any chance of promotion, and the former Wimbledon man is one of their most potent options.

➡️ Jack Rudoni to have 3+ Shots @ 2.10 on bet365 ↔️

🔵 Bobby Thomas

The number of times that Coventry got the ball directly into the box from nine corners, indirect free-kicks, and multiple long throws, it felt inevitable that Bobby Thomas would get something on the end of those deliveries that would classify as a shot.

Eventually, he ended up with two shots in stoppage time, and that makes it seven times in nine matches that the big central defender has hit two or more shots.

➡️ Bobby Thomas to have 2+ Shots @ 2.75 on bet365 ↔️

🔴 Trai Hume

Hume has an average is 0.94 shots per 90 over the last 20 matches, in the last 10 matches this rises still further to 1.11. This makes his price for this match look some value, especially when adding in his tackles, of which he is averaging 3.84 per 90 over Sunderland’s last 10 matches.

➡️ Trai Hume to have 1+ Shots & commit 1+ Fouls @ 2.27 on bet365

📂 Sunderland v Coventry Cheat Sheet

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💻 Sunderland v Coventry Form and Tactics

The first leg of the tie should give us some good clues for what we can expect at the Stadium of Light on Tuesday night.

The first issue to put to bed is Sunderland’s form. They have now put an end to their winless run, and didn't seem overly fazed by their poor form on the night at the CBS. However, their tactical approach was something of a surprise.

Sunderland played a fairly regulation 4-4-2 with Wilson Isidor and Eliezer Mayenda as a front two. Whilst there was a lot of work for Dan Neil and Jobe Bellingham in central midfield, Enzo Le Fee and Patrick Roberts played quite narrow to offer some protection. Sunderland's box defending was exceptional, with Dan Ballard especially impressive.

Being able to carry a lead back to Sunderland means that Regis Le Bris can probably employ very similar tactics in this match, knowing that a strong defensive performance will see them reach the play-off final.

Looking at how this could affect the bets to play, Coventry look a good price in terms of shots and corners for this match.

From a player perspective, Jack Rudoni was a big threat for Coventry, scoring and hitting three shots in total, whereas Mayenda was Sunderland’s chief shot taker with three as well. Ben Sheaf hit the box more often than anticipated for Coventry, getting two shots away as well at a price.

Sunderland struggled down their left against Milan van Ewijk and Tatsuhiro Sakamoto, with Le Fee making three fouls and Dennis Cirkin making two, and getting a booking. Matt Grimes and Bobby Thomas both made two fouls on the night.

One interesting aspect of the tactics last Friday was that Neil and Bellingham made four tackles each for Sunderland; this could be an interesting line to follow on Tuesday.

🏁 Sunderland v Coventry Ref Watch

• Referee: Andy Madley

Stats are on a per 90 basis and are taken from 2024/25 games (23 total)

• Madley is usually a Premier League referee, and hasn’t done a full programme in the Championship since 2018/19, he has officiated only two Championship matches this season

• He is averaging 4.06 yellow cards per fixture in the Premier League this season, which is fairly high for the PL. In his two Championship matches, he gave out 10 yellows.

• Madley doesn’t mind blowing his whistle for fouls, though, averaging 23.4 fouls per match in the PL and 25.5 in the Championship matches this season, both averages ranking Madley high with his peers

Football Predictions at Andy's Bet Club

Check out the best Coventry v Sunderland Betting Stats ahead of kick-off.

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* I recommend waiting for confirmed team line-ups before placing any bets.

* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing.