Frank Lampard shares ‘aggressive’ gameplan ahead of Coventry City vs Portsmouth

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There are crucial points at stake between Coventry City and Portsmouth in Wednesday night’s clash at the CBS Arena.

Frank Lampard has managed against Pompey and John Mousinho previously, losing his fifth game in charge of Cov 4-1 at Fratton Park. That means Coventry have won just one of their last seven league meetings with Portsmouth now.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
4	SunderlandSunderland	40	21	12	7	57	37	20	75
5	MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough	40	17	9	14	61	49	12	60
6	Bristol CityBristol City	40	15	15	10	51	43	8	60
7	CoventryCoventry	40	17	8	15	57	53	4	59
8	West BromWest Brom	40	13	18	9	48	36	12	57
9	MillwallMillwall	40	14	12	14	39	41	-2	54
10	WatfordWatford	40	15	8	17	48	53	-5	53

Both sides still have plenty to play for, with the Sky Blues in search of valuable points to make it into the play-off picture. Meanwhile Portsmouth have still got work to do to ensure safety in the Championship, having been promoted back to this level for the first time since 2012.

Lampard will want a better performance than the previous encounter between two of the brightest young English coaches in the second tier. He will also require a response from his team after seeing them fail to pick up anything in their last two fixtures against high-flying Sheffield United and the disappointing defeat to Burnley left fans frustrated.

• READ MORE: Adam Armstrong reveals what Middlesbrough, West Brom, Coventry and Bristol City can’t do in ‘crazy’ Championship play-off run-in

Frank Lampard’s Portsmouth comments highlight potential gameplan for Coventry City clash

It took a four-goal haul from Callum Lang to dispatch Coventry in the reverse fixture. Speaking post-match in December via the Coventry City official website, Lampard explained the difficulties of an away game against Portsmouth.

He said: “You know what you’re getting when you come here, they’ve given teams tough games this season and you have to respect every team in the Championship.

“If they’re going to press and be aggressive then you need to match that and be aggressive and in the second half, we didn’t do that.”

He added: “It’s fair to say, but it’s not important because they now have to realise that can’t be the way — your confidence can’t drop.

“You can lose a game of football, but you can’t lose the confidence and desire to do something about it as a group and individually.

“They were too aggressive for us in the second half and we weren’t aggressive enough with them and if you get that bit wrong in the Championship then you’ll lose games like this.”

It’s clear what the gameplan will be at the CBS in terms of matching them up with that intensity and aggression, with Cov having learnt plenty of lessons in the time since Lampard’s first games in charge.

• READ MORE: Portsmouth have made bargain signing of the season in the Championship with ‘superb’ ace, he is up there with the very best

Coventry City and Portsmouth’s 2025 form

Coventry have not won any of their last eight league games played on a Wednesday since a 1-0 victory at home to Blackburn Rovers in October 2023. However, they will be far better prepared for a Portsmouth side who have just 10 points on the road all season, having been outstanding at home for some time.

That is the second-worst record in the division after Plymouth Argyle. On the other hand, Coventry have the sixth-best home record. However, football is never that simple and both teams have been remarkable since the turn of the year.

Only the top three have been in better form than Coventry, while Sunderland and Bristol City are the only other two sides who have won more points than Portsmouth in that period. It should be a cracker in front of the Sky cameras.