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Coventry vs West Brom betting tips:
- Draw – 12/5 with BetGoodwin
- Under 2.5 goals – 8/11 with Betfred
- Over 10.5 total corners – 10/11 with Unibet
Coventry came within one kick of promotion from the Championship last season but are finding it much harder to get into the play-off fight this time around as they get set to host West Brom on Monday (Sky Sports, 8pm).
The hangover from the Sky Blues’ defeat in the play-off final on penalties has lingered on and they find themselves down in 20th – albeit the tight nature of the second tier means they are only eight points off the top six.
Coventry had a chance to close that gap when visiting struggling Rotherham last time out, only to come away from South Yorkshire empty-handed after a 2-0 defeat.
That result leaves them five points adrift of West Midlands rivals West Brom, who have found a bit of form of late with one defeat in eight games lifting them to the fringes of the play-off places.
They saw off 10-man QPR 2-0 at home last Tuesday, but that victory came at a cost as the injuries continue to mount up for Carlos Corberan’s team.
When considering our options on football betting sites, Albion are the form team but the lengthy list of absentees can’t be ignored and leaves them short for a trip to a Coventry side no doubt desperate to bounce back.
Baggies may bag a point
Albion are starting to show all the hallmarks of a Corberan team having become difficult to beat and posting five clean sheets in their last six games.
When Corberan led Huddersfield to the brink of promotion, their success was based on being tough to break down and having a good record from set pieces.
Corberan’s style of playing isn’t pretty but it’s effective and despite being hamstrung by the ongoing ownership saga that’s plagued the club throughout the summer, the Spaniard has manoeuvred Albion into a good position.
The win over QPR was their third win in five games in the Championship and new UK betting sites have trimmed their promotion odds over the course of that run.
But the wins have come at a cost with West Brom losing high-quality defender Cedric Kipre to a serious knee injury against QPR.
Fellow defender Semi Ajayi damaged his ankle ligaments in the game before against Plymouth, joining Jeremy Sarmiento, Josh Maja, Adam Reach, Daryl Dike, and John Swift on the sidelines.
Having had six academy graduates on the bench against QPR, Corberan’s options are clearly limited as West Brom head on the road looking for just their second away win of the season.
No visiting side has won at the Ricoh Arena this season, although four of the six sides to have made the trip haven’t left empty-handed.
Draws have been the Achilles heel of Coventry’s season. No side has drawn more Championship games than the Sky Blues (six) with four of the last five at the Ricoh Arena finishing all square.
Coventry are creating enough chances to win more games – they rank top-10 for expected goals per game – but are fluffing their lines in front of goal, making them tough to trust against a well-organised West Brom team.
Albion will be looking for a smash and grab raid against their West Midlands rivals but may be happy to settle for a point in the circumstances with so many players absent.
Defences on top
West Brom scored from their only two shots on target against QPR last time out and have found it tough to fashion openings since putting four past Preston four games ago.
Injured topscorer Swift is sorely missed, while the usually reliable set piece delivery from Jed Wallace hasn’t been quiet so on point of late.
They carry a threat down the left with Matt Phillips and Grady Diangana in good form, but if Coventry can close that route to goal, they can nullify a lot of West Brom’s attacking intent.
Five of the last six meetings between these two sides have produced just one goal and this sets up as another tight fixture.
Coventry have drawn a blank in their last two games and big money summer signing Ellis Simms is finding it tough to fill the void left by last season’s topscorer Viktor Gyökeres.
Mark Robins' team have conceded just five home goals all season, second only to Leicester (3), so it’s no surprise four of their six home games have gone under 2.5 goals, which is a strong option at 8/11 with Betfred.
Corners and Coventry go together
Coventry’s 13 Championship games have averaged over 12 corners per game, the second highest number in the division, and bookmakers may be underestimating how many set pieces opportunities they will be on Monday.
The Sky Blues have won a remarkable 31 corner kicks in their last two games combined, enough to land the over 10.5 corners bet for this game on their own.
The corner average is even higher for Coventry home games and they are hosting a West Brom team becoming increasingly reliant on set pieces.
Games involving West Brom are producing nearly 11 corners on average and the likelihood of plenty of flag kicks when these sides meet seems high.
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Last Updated: 14th March 2024, 07:22 AM
