Coventry City return to Championship action this weekend, with Frank Lampard’s side looking to bounce back in the second tier following their FA Cup third round loss at the hands of Stoke City.

The Sky Blues were defeated 1-0 on Saturday afternoon, as Lamine Cisse scored a fantastic volley for the Potters at the bet365 Stadium, sending the Staffordshire club through to the next round of the competition, where they will face Premier League side Fulham at home.

While Coventry’s main priority remains the league and promotion to the top division, a situation has emerged at the CBS Arena that their head coach has not faced since joining the West Midlands club in November 2024.

Lampard, who signed a two-and-a-half-year contract when appointed, is now having his worst spell in charge of Coventry, and while their early season form saw them take a commanding lead at the top of the division, pressure is building from behind. With the M69 derby approaching, the Sky Blues sorely need to go back to their best, while Ipswich Town is gradually closing in on the league leaders.

Coventry City will feel the burden of Ipswich Town.

Coventry have led the Championship since October, and their goal-scoring record has been incredible. So far in the league, they’ve scored 57 goals and conceded 29. Their most impressive performance was a 7-1 triumph against QPR, although they also scored five goals against Sheffield Wednesday and Derby County.

However, in recent weeks, Lampard’s team has struggled to open defences at the same rate as they did at the start of the season, allowing the rest of the division to creep in on the second tier’s top side.

Coventry have won only two of their past eight league games, and their FA Cup defeat against Stoke brings their total to two victories in nine competitions, City’s worst run since Lampard’s arrival in November 2024.

Ipswich became the first team in the league to do the double over the Sky Blues, defeating the West Midlands club 5-0 on aggregate in their two meetings in December.

While the Tractor Boys started the season poorly, their talent has finally begun to shine, and over the last 12 games, no other team has scored more points in the Championship than Kieran McKenna’s.

Ipswich, who are presently third in the table, are only six points behind Coventry with one game in hand. Middlesbrough, who are second, had a difficult festive season, but they have the potential to put additional pressure on the leaders in the coming weeks.

Frank Lampard must find a solution to end Coventry City’s rut.

Lampard has been outstanding since taking over at the CBS Arena, leading the team from the brink of relegation in the autumn of 2024 to the very top of the Championship a year later.

However, this is his worst run in CV6, and with a lot of teams closing the distance on the Sky Blues, the former Chelsea manager will be feeling some pressure.

Nonetheless, Coventry’s match against Leicester City this weekend provides an opportunity to break out of this rut and begin a new run of momentum as the Championship heads for the final stretch.

Back-to-back league home games provide the Sky Blues with an excellent opportunity to demonstrate to the rest of the division why they are currently at the top of the table, but one slip-up may allow Ipswich to take advantage.