Coventry City have one gamechanger who Sunderland must fear, even he can’t deny it

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Coventry City have high hopes of making it back to the Premier League for the first time in 24 years and they are looking strong following an excellent 2-0 victory to end the 2024/25 regular season.

The Sky Blues are now readying themselves for the challenge of Sunderland in the first leg of their Championship play-off campaign at the CBS Arena, after their top six place was confirmed following that victory over Middlesbrough on Saturday.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	LeedsLeeds	46	29	13	4	95	30	65	100
2	BurnleyBurnley	46	28	16	2	69	16	53	100
3	Sheff UtdSheffield Utd	46	28	8	10	63	36	27	90
4	SunderlandSunderland	46	21	13	12	58	44	14	76
5	CoventryCoventry	46	20	9	17	64	58	6	69
6	Bristol CityBristol City	46	17	17	12	59	55	4	68

After Frank Lampard missed out on promotion in 2019 with Derby County, he has the chance to right some of his previous wrongs while Coventry themselves will be looking to exercise the demons of two years ago.

Since then, the squad has undergone a bit of a makeover, and one star that did not feature on that day will be hoping that he can write his name into folklore in sky blue, and help fix some of Coventry’s past play-off problems.

Jack Rudoni has been superb for Coventry City this season and has even praised himself.

Jack Rudoni has been a dominant force in midfield for the West Midlands outfit in 2024/25, with his goals against Boro at the weekend ensuring that his team made it into the top six.

Playing in the attacking midfield role, the 23-year-old is one of the most in-form players heading into the play-offs, and he has the opportunity to continue this impressive run starting against Sunderland on Friday evening.

With a goal or an assist in nine of his last 12 Championship appearances, it was clear to see why Coventry missed his influence so much while he was out injured but he has come back as good as ever.

In fact, even he can’t deny how impressive his performances have been this season, with Rudoni naming himself as the club’s player of the season.

When asked who should win the award, he said: “Player of the season, just the team, just the team.

“[It’s] the team, and then me.”

Sunderland have to find a way to stop Jack Rudoni from controlling the game

Sunderland’s Championship play-off record is also alarming, and Regis Le Bris has hit work cut out to get his Black Cats team back into some form after a disappointing end to the campaign.

Rudoni has the quality to make the game his from the off, and with the CBS Arena sure to be rocking, their opponents may find it tough to get a foothold in the match if the midfielder is given the time and space to operate.

Strong, powerful and not shy to get involved in the dirty side of the game, there are few better in the division than the former AFC Wimbledon star and Coventry will only be successful if they can ensure he is the centre focus of their play.

There is a reason why he has backed himself for the player of the season award, and while few Sky Blues supporters will disagree at this point, he still has the chance to prove himself three more times in the EFL.