Coventry City are aiming high under long-serving boss Mark Robins this season, as they look to return to the top-flight for the first time since 2001.
The Sky Blues finished ninth in the Championship last season after previously losing in the play-off final in 2022/23, and Robins has seen attacking midfielder Callum O’Hare join Sheffield United this summer, while striker Matt Godden has left the club after five years for Charlton Athletic.
City have been busy in terms of incomings though, with midfielder Jack Rudoni, goalkeeper Oliver Dovin and winger Raphael Borges Rodrigues arriving from Huddersfield Town, Swedish side Hammarby and Australian outfit Macarthur respectively, while centre-back Luis Binks has made last season’s loan move from Bologna permanent.
Coventry have also bolstered their attacking depth, with striker Brandon Thomas-Asante joining on a four-year deal from West Brom, in a move believed to be worth an initial £2.25m.
Robins’ men will be after a play-off place this season, and will hope to get off to a strong start as they travel to Stoke City on August 10 to begin their Championship campaign.
The Sky Blues are set to be favourites for this encounter against the Potters, and ahead of a curtain-raising clash in ST4, we have predicted the visitors’ starting lineup.
GK: Oliver Dovin
London-born Sweden youth international Dovin joined Coventry from Hammarby at the end of July, and seems likely to be the Sky Blues’ first-choice keeper after being handed the number one shirt upon arrival.
The 22-year-old has been a mainstay in the last three pre-season friendly games, and looks set to oust Brad Collins and Ben Wilson from in-between the sticks this season.
RB: Milan van Ewijk
Van Ewijk enjoyed a standout debut campaign at the CBS Arena in 2023/24, and remains at the club as it stands, despite reported transfer interest from a trio of Dutch giants.
He will retain his right-back spot for the trip to Stoke, and throughout the season so long as he stays, with no out-and-out back-up and Joel Latibeaudiere his only likely competition.
CB: Bobby Thomas
Coventry’s current centre-back pairing seems almost nailed on heading into their trip to the bet365 Stadium, with Liam Kitching currently suspended and Latibeaudiere unlikely to be given a starting berth.
Bobby Thomas is the first of the two, and he will be hoping for another successful campaign in 2024/25 after featuring in all but two league games last season.
CB: Luis Binks
Luis Binks is permanently back with the Sky Blues after a loan spell from Bologna last season, and is set to take on a starting role for the trip to Stoke.
The former Spurs man was not a permanent fixture in Robins’ side in 2023/24, but a strong performance in the season’s opener could put him in contention for more consistent minutes in this campaign.
LB: Jake Bidwell
Bidwell is a Championship stalwart, with nearly 400 games in the second-tier since his first game in the division with Brentford back in 2014.
The 31-year-old was competing with Jay Dasilva for a place at left-back last season, but started more games than the 26-year-old and will likely be preferred against Stoke to add some experience to a young back-line.
DM: Josh Eccles
With captain incumbent Ben Sheaf, who has been heavily linked with a move away this summer, only just returning from injury, it looks likely that the door will open for Josh Eccles to be handed a start as a holding midfielder against Stoke, ahead of Jamie Allen.
Eccles is a Coventry academy youth graduate, and has featured over 115 times for his boyhood club since his debut as an 18-year-old in November 2018.
DM: Victor Torp
Victor Torp will partner Eccles at the base of midfield if he starts against Stoke, and he will be hoping to impress his boss after a stop-start first six months in the West Midlands last season.
Torp arrived from Sarpsborg of Norway in January, but started just eight games out of a possible 20 after his arrival, so he should see this season’s opener as a good chance to stake a claim for a consistent berth alongside Sheaf when he returns from injury.
AM: Jack Rudoni
Jack Rudoni was purchased by the Sky Blues this summer as a like-for-like replacement for the outgoing Callum O’Hare, and would undoubtedly love to go one better than the new Sheffield United man to fire Coventry to promotion to the top-flight this season.
He has impressed in pre-season as a number 10 behind Robins’ front-three, and will be raring to go against Stoke to potentially open his account as a Coventry player on his full league debut for the club.
RW: Tatsuhiro Sakamoto
Japanese international Tatsuhiro Sakamoto joined Coventry from Belgian side Oostende last summer, and registered seven goals and two assists in 29 league appearances in his debut season at the CBS Arena, despite a back injury ending his campaign early in February.
The 27-year-old was key for Robins’ side last season, and their league performances noticeably dropped off when he was sidelined, so he will be looking for a fast start against Stoke now that he is back fit.
ST: Ellis Simms
Ellis Simms has been a revelation for Coventry since his arrival from Everton last July, and will be absolutely vital to Robins’ men if they are to mount a challenge for promotion this season.
| Ellis Simms 2023/24 Coventry statistics | |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 46 |
| Starts | 30 |
| Goals | 13 |
| Assists | 1 |
| Shots on target per 90 | 1.12 |
| Progressive carries per 90 | 1.85 |
| Shot-creating actions per 90 | 1.82 |
| Stats as per FBref, league games only | |
He has seen more competition for his position arrive this summer in Brandon Thomas-Asante, but will start against Stoke as a lone striker, provided the Sky Blues boss does not experiment with two centre-forwards alongside each other up front.
LW: Ephron Mason-Clark
Ephron Mason-Clark has enjoyed a rapid rise to the second-tier with Coventry, after initially starting out at Barnet in League Two and the National League, then moving to Peterborough United in the summer of 2022 and becoming a standout player for the Posh in the third-tier.
He signed for the Sky Blues in February for £4.25m, then returned to Peterborough on loan until the end of last season, and is now back and competing for places and looks set to start in the Potteries, with Haji Wright unlikely to be fully fit enough in time to be named in the starting XI.
