The Same Scenario – Coventry Star Has Familiar Feeling For Sunderland Clash | OneFootball

Coventry City star Jake Bidwell has drawn references from their game against Birmingham City a couple of years ago to insist that the Sunderland clash will be all about controlling emotions.

The quest to become the third team from the Championship to go through to the Premier League will begin on Friday for Frank Lampard’s Coventry.

It will be the home leg that Coventry will have to negotiate first and handling the pressure of the situation and the fans will be key on the night.

Veteran left-back Bidwell, while drawing references from their game against Birmingham City back in 2023 – one that they had won 2-0 and had thus sneaked into the top six – insisted it will be something similar.

The key to success on the night, according to Bidwell, will be to just focus on the job in hand and do not get wrapped up in anything else.

“For us as players, it is just important to focus on the job, don’t get wrapped up in anything else”, Bidwell said at a press conference (8:10).

“You need to control your emotions, obviously going to be a lot of that.

“But speaking of my experience, even at this club, I think the Birmingham game the couple of years ago was very much the exact same scenario.”

The ability to get the home crowd going will do that extra 10 per cent for Coventry, Bidwell insists.

“So, it is for us to go out there and perform, If we do that it will get the crowd going. That will give us an extra 10 per cent that will really help us.

“But it is up to us to force that and go for fun.”

The second leg of the tie will be played at the Stadium of Light next Tuesday.

Based on form, Coventry will head into the game with more confidence than Sunderland given that they have managed to win two of their last four league matches of the season.

Sunderland, on the other hand, have lost all of their last five matches and could feel the nerves when they take on Lampard’s team.