Coventry City vs. Sunderland: Championship 2024-25 Play-Offs Tips

The Championship play-offs are phenomenal and we have been blessed with another corker of a tie, as Coventry host Sunderland.

Ben's Bets for Coventry City vs. Sunderland

At the time of writing this, the lineups were not available to us, so I have tried to make some assumptions about the lineup, whilst only tipping players I think will start. It is worth stating here that I would not advise placing any bets until the lineups are out for both teams.

We've gone a little bit less risky with these picks than I did with my selections for Bristol City vs. Sheffield United. However, my message will remain the same. Play-off games are so difficult to call, so there is still a higher level of risk.

So, without further ado, let's dive into my reasoning.

Over 10.5 Corners

I am a huge fan of corner markets, admittedly, and anyone who has followed my previous tips will know this. However, I'm going against the trend and looking at the over market here, and I think there could be a bucket full in this game.

At the CBS, Coventry average an extra corner per game than they do overall, having 6.5 corners compared to around 5.5. When Sunderland play away from home, their average corners against per game rises by one as well to 5.2.

On the opposite side, Sunderland do not receive as many corners away from home, with only 4.7 per game. However, Coventry have conceded around 5.6 corners per game this season in the Championship at the CBS.

Both Teams to Receive 2+ Cards

I will go further into cards later as well, as I have a card selection too. However, I think we could see a bit of a riled-up game at the CBS on Friday night.

John Busby, the referee of this clash, has given an average of three cards per game this season - but his average across his career is slightly higher at 3.6, which is something to consider a little.

Furthermore, both teams have averaged two cards against them per game this season, with the home and away statistics coming into our favour here too (Coventry 2.57 against at home and Sunderland 2.13 away from home, which is the fourth highest in the league).

In this clash earlier this season, there were three yellows at the CBS (1-2) whilst at the Stadium of Light there were seven (3-4), so I would not be surprised if this game has more than a few cards.

Coventry City to Win

Picking winners in a play-off game is always difficult. However, I cannot look past Coventry here. Starting with the previous results, it is fair to say that Sunderland's bogey team is the Sky Blues, and this is especially the case away from home, where Sunderland have not won since 1985.

In fact, Sunderland have not been victorious against City since 2007, which only bodes well for us here.

Looking at the present, Cov have the second-best home form in the league coming into this game, winning five of their previous six, whilst Sunderland sit 11th in the away form charts (2-1-3).

If you needed any more reasoning, Sunderland are the 23rd worst team in the division in the past 10 games, winning just two games and losing their most recent five.

Dare I say that this is my banker for this fixture...

Jack Rudoni to Score or Assist

This feels like a really generous price for a goal or an assist here, and I'm going to try and take advantage of that. Since moving to Coventry, Jack Rudoni has taken it to a new level and his past 10 games show this brilliantly.

With six goals and two assists, he is the pearl of Frank Lampard's team and the former Chelsea great continues to purr about his performances regularly, showing how highly he is viewed by the head coach.

Earlier in the season, he scored against the Black Cats, though this was from a deeper position than he currently occupies. For this reason, I think he could be heavily involved here.

Dennis Cirkin to be Carded

My final pick is for Dennis Cirkin to be shown a card, something which I think has a big chance here, and the odds look nice at 13/5.

In both games against the Sky Blues this season, Cirkin has been a foul machine, getting two at the CBS, whilst also making three fouls at the Stadium of Light earlier in the year, so I can see this continuing here.

Cov's right-hand side draws around 3.2 fouls per game alone, and of course players will move in and out of zones throughout. Partner this with the fact that Cirkin commits an average of 1.48 fouls per 90, and is Sunderland's top fouler, and I think this has a superb chance.