Leeds United head to the CBS Arena on Wednesday evening.
Frank Lampard thinks the decision to move his Coventry City side’s Championship match against Leeds United ahead is ‘not ideal,’ but acknowledges such surprises are usual in the Championship.
Leeds were originally scheduled to play at the CBS Arena on Saturday afternoon, but that date has been moved up three days due to both clubs’ participation in the FA Cup fourth round this weekend. Daniel Farke’s side host Championship rivals Millwall at Elland Road, while Coventry face Premier League strugglers Ipswich Town.
With so few holes in an already congested fixture schedule, a handful of this gameweek’s Championship matchups were relocated with a fortnight’s notice, and the previous midweek was penciled in. While the change is minor and has an equal impact on both teams, Lampard expressed anger with the decision.
“It wasn’t ideal for us, but it is what it is,” the Coventry manager said of his team’s rescheduled match. “We’ll manage the squad, and there’s not much to complain about. The Championship sometimes throws tough schedules at us, so we’ll do our best to handle them and take on all of these games.”
Leeds and Coventry are in a similar situation for Wednesday’s match, having last played on Saturday afternoon. Daniel Farke’s team were allowed to ease off the throttle in terms of defensive intensity, with their 7-0 thrashing of Cardiff City providing a memorable display for all at Elland Road.
Coventry also picked up three points away from home, defeating struggling Swansea City 2-0. Ellis Simms and Brandon Thomas-Asante scored for the Sky Blues as Lampard secured his fourth consecutive league victory, propelling them from relegation to play-off contention.
“We’ve gained some ground, for sure, and we’re playing better,” Lampard said of his team’s recent performance. “Performances are good and doing well, but if those standards decrease, it will not continue. If we want to maintain that positive momentum, it’s fine to look up now, but we need to realize what it takes to keep moving, but we’re in a fantastic place right now.”
Matt Grimes, who signed over the weekend, might make his Coventry debut on Wednesday when the club visits Leeds. The 29-year-old was Lampard’s first mid-season addition, and he is anticipated to add plenty of Championship experience to the squad.
When asked if throwing Grimes into the deep end on Wednesday was a risk given his side’s recent success, Lampard replied, “We’ll see. I don’t want to pick the team anymore, especially after what the lads did today [against Swansea].”
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