Preview: Coventry City vs. Brentford - prediction, team news, lineups

Promotion contenders Brentford head into their meeting with Coventry City on Saturday afternoon looking to avoid their third Championship defeat in quick succession.

While the Bees are challenging for a place in the Premier League, their hosts are just three points above the relegation zone after five matches without a win.

Match preview

© Reuters

Having witnessed Brentford put together a 21-match unbeaten run in the Championship, their promotion rivals would naturally have had concerns over whether Thomas Frank's side could maintain their form until the end of the campaign.

However, successive defeats to Barnsley and Queens Park Rangers have suggested that the Bees are beginning to tire after their relentless run of fixtures this season.

Frank has largely rotated between 15 players in the short term due to injuries, but some of his key men are showing signs of fatigue at an important period of the season.

Despite starting all of Brentford's 30 Championship fixtures this season, Ivan Toney cannot be given a game on the substitutes' bench as long as he is continues to add to his 24 goals for the campaign.

Nevertheless, with three matches still to come before the end of February, Frank has decisions to make as he bids to keep the club in the hunt for automatic promotion.

At a time when Brentford now sit four points behind leaders Norwich City, opponents Coventry are more concerned with the teams sitting below them in the standings.

Collecting just two points from five matches has left the Sky Blues open to being caught by the chasing pack, their two nearest rivals each possessing at least one game in hand.

Mark Robins has done a terrific job to keep his side out of trouble this season, but they are under pressure to come out of a tough period of fixtures with at least another point on the board.

While they succumbed to defeat against Norwich on Wednesday night, Robins would have been happy with the performance of his players in the second half.

However, Coventry have now only scored in one of their last seven halves of football, something which cannot continue in the long run if they wish to avoid a return to League One.

Coventry City Championship form: WDLDLL

Brentford Championship form: WWWWLL

Team News

© Reuters

Robins will make several changes to his Coventry XI, most likely bringing in the players which came off the substitutes' bench against Norwich.

Leo Ostigard, Josh Pask and Maxime Biamou are all in line to start for the Sky Blues, replacing Michael Rose, Julien Da Costa and Jamie Allen.

Defender Ethan Pinnock is in line to return to the Brentford starting lineup, taking the place of either Mads Bech Sorensen or Winston Reid.

Saman Ghoddos and Bryan Mbeumo are also pushing for recalls, potentially at the expense of Mathias Jensen and Tariqe Fosu-Henry.

Coventry City possible starting lineup:
Wilson; Ostigard, McFadzean, Hyam; Pask, Hamer, James, McCallum; O'Hare, Walker; Biamou

Brentford possible starting lineup:
Raya; Dalsgaard, Reid, Pinnock, Henry; Dasilva, Janelt, Ghoddos; Mbeumo, Toney, Canos

We say: Coventry City 1-2 Brentford

Despite their defeat at home to the leaders in midweek, Coventry will be optimistic that they can pull off a shock in this fixture. However, Frank has been left in no doubt that he needs to freshen up his side, and we expect a brighter performance from the Bees at St Andrew's.