Frank Lampard has urged his Coventry City players to handle the pressure of pushing for promotion ahead of their crucial match against Middlesbrough.

The Sky Blues lost their lead in the Championship table after a 0-0 draw against Oxford United last time out.

Boro’s 2-1 victory at Bramall Lane saw Kim Hellberg’s team go ahead by two points after closing the 10-point difference between the sides.

Lampard’s side has gone three games without a win and will now be concerned about Ipswich Town, Hull City, and Millwall.

The team is looking for an automatic return to the Premier League for the first time since 2001, after making the play-offs in two of the previous three seasons.

Frank Lampard gave a pressure warning to the Coventry City squad.

Lampard has reminded his Coventry players that they must rise to the challenge of Monday night’s top-of-the-table game despite their recent dismal form.

He believes that the players must realize that their lead at the top of the table has vanished and that they must now respond by improving their results if they are to continue earning promotion.

“It is a big test for us to mentally accept the situation,” Lampard told the Mirror.

“We are under different pressures right now.

“The dial has changed.

“We have to stand up to the pressure.

“To go where you want to go, there is usually some level of hardship.

“We used to have a lot of freedom, but now we have to present a different aspect of ourselves.

“I’ve been around the game too long — I always felt there was a possibility of that.”

Coventry advanced to the play-off semi-finals last season under Lampard, but a 3-2 aggregate defeat to Sunderland terminated their promotion dreams.

Under Mark Robins, the Sky Blues were also ousted from promotion contention in the 2023 play-off final after losing on penalties to Luton Town.

The team has not competed in the top division in nearly 25 years, yet they still lead Ipswich in third position by four points heading into the weekend, despite having played one more game.

Coventry will face Middlesbrough on February 16 at 8 p.m.

Coventry had to adapt to the altering league position.

Coventry’s advantage looked so strong only a few months ago, but they’ve let it slip, and they can’t afford to lose any more ground to the clubs behind.

A defeat against Middlesbrough would not only allow Ipswich to reduce the gap, but it may also ruin the team’s mental strength.

After such a good first half of the season, the club would be quite disappointed if they did not finish in the top two.

However, unless they respond to the pressure that is now being applied, they risk being caught by the team behind, and a loss would give Middlesbrough a comfortable five-point lead at the top.