Coventry City vs Aston Villa – Match preview and team news

Coventry City host Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup third round on Wednesday, with both Premier League strugglers hoping to build some momentum after difficult starts to the season.

It is the first meeting between the Midlands rivals since May 2001, when Villa’s victory relegated Coventry from the top flight. Coventry finally returned to the Premier League as Championship champions last season under Frank Lampard, but the joy has since been replaced by concern: the Sky Blues have lost their opening four top-flight matches without scoring or taking a point, conceding 10 goals in the process.

Aston Villa have fared only slightly better under Unai Emery, with just a single point from their first four league matches, though they showed more attacking promise in a 3-2 Champions League win over Club Brugge in midweek.

Coventry City vs Aston Villa – Match preview and team news

Date: Wednesday, 16 September 2026Kick-off: 20:00 BSTVenue: Coventry Building Society ArenaReferee: Robert JonesLast meeting: Aston Villa 3-2 Coventry City (Premier League, 5 May 2001)

Team news

Coventry City

Coventry will be without Taiwo Awoniyi, who begins a three-match suspension after his red card in Sunday’s 5-0 defeat to Brighton, along with longer-term absentees Haji Wright, Josh Eccles, Luke Woolfenden and Kaine Kesler-Hayden, the latter a product of Aston Villa’s academy. Summer signing Sidiki Cherif, who made his first appearance off the bench against Brighton, could be handed a first start up front.

Aston Villa

Aston Villa will be without Ian Maatsen, who faces six to eight weeks out with ankle ligament damage, and Pau Torres, expected to miss two to four weeks with a hamstring issue, both picked up in Saturday’s defeat to Nottingham Forest. Matty Cash remains a doubt having missed the last two matches, while Emery is expected to rotate heavily, with Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Ibrahim Mbaye among those in contention for their first Villa starts.

Form

Coventry City

Coventry’s return to the Premier League has been brutal, with four straight defeats yielding no goals and 10 conceded. Sunday’s 5-0 loss to Brighton was compounded by Awoniyi’s second-half red card, and Lampard’s side have become the first Coventry team since 1919 to start a league season with four consecutive losses. Their only win of the campaign came in the previous round of this competition, a 4-2 victory over Plymouth Argyle.

Aston Villa

Aston Villa have managed only a single Premier League point so far, following Saturday’s 2-1 home defeat to Nottingham Forest despite Alysson’s second-half equaliser. There was more encouragement in Europe, where a battling 3-2 win at Club Brugge offered a reminder of the team’s quality, though Villa have progressed beyond the third round of this competition just once in the last six seasons.

Predicted lineups

Coventry City predicted XI (3-4-2-1): Bentley; Latibeaudiere, Thomas, Mfuni; Van Ewijk, Grimes, Torp, Dasilva; Tchaouna, Hamer; Cherif

Aston Villa predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Bizot; Wan-Bissaka, Harwood-Bellis, Mings, Ruggeri; Bogarde, Kamara; McGinn, Buendia, Mbaye; Abraham

How to watch Coventry City vs Aston Villa?

The match will be broadcast live in the United Kingdom on Sky Sports+.

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