It is a chance to secure promotion to the Premier League as Coventry City square off against Luton Town in the Championship playoff final.
Coventry City reached the Championship playoff final after claiming a 1-0 aggregate victory over Middlesbrough. Following a 0-0 draw at home in the first meeting, they picked up a 1-0 win in the second leg at the Riverside Stadium with Gustavo Hamer getting the only goal.
The Sky Blues have been wandering the lower leagues of English football for more than 20 years now having last played in the Premier League back in 2021. They have never been in a playoff final but Saturday’s clash marks the culmination of a steady rise through the ranks under manager Mark Robins, who joined the team in League Two in 2017.
Coventry City have been in good form lately and head into the final unbeaten in their last nine matches. However, they have only claimed four wins in that run with the rest of the fixtures ending in draws.
Luton Town have never played in the Premier League having been relegated from the Old First Division in the 1991-92 season. This will be their second successive foray into the playoffs having been ousted by Huddersfield in the semi-final last season.
The Hatters have now gone one better this time around as they bounced back from a first leg defeat at Sunderland to secure a place in Saturday’s clash. Having lost 2-1 in the first meeting at the Stadium of Light, they returned home for a 2-0 victory in the second leg goals from Gabriel Osho and Tom Lockyer proving the difference.
The result at Sunderland was the first defeat in 15 matches across all competitions for Luton Town, a run stretching back to February. However, they head into Saturday’s clash with just one win in their last three Championship matches.
How the bookies view it
Luton Town have the upper hand among the bookies with a win priced at 6/4 by Betfred. A victory for Coventry City is valued at 21/10 by William Hill while bet365 is also offering odds of 21/10 for a draw.
Players to watch
Viktor Gyokeres is one of the most prolific strikers in the Championship, finishing with 21 goals during the regular season. He failed to find the net in the semi-final and will be keen to set things right in Saturday’s clash at 5/2 with bet365.
Luton Town have a prolific striker of their own with Carlton Morris also netting 20 Championship goals during the regular season. He is also seeking an improved performance after blanking in the semi-final and is priced at 5/2 to get on the score sheet on Saturday.
Head to head
Coventry City have an 18-11 advantage with seven draws from 36 previous matches against Luton Town. There was nothing to separate both teams during the regular season as they battled to a 2-2 draw at Kenilworth Road before playing out a 1-1 scoreline in the reverse fixture back in February.
Anything else catch the eye?
Both teams were on target in their two regular season meetings and Saturday’s clash could be set for a similar outcome at evens by Unibet. The Hatters opened the scoring in both matches and could be tipped to grab the first goal at Wembley at evens with Coral.
Coventry City have been level at the break in their last three matches and with Luton Town also producing a similar outcome in three of their last four fixtures, a repeat can be considered at evens with Unibet.
This England Championship match between Coventry City and Luton Town will be played on May 27, 2023 and kick off at 16:45. Check below for our tipsters best Coventry City vs Luton Town prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
