The tie, which is finely poised, sees Sunderland hold a narrow 2-1 advantage from the first leg played at Coventry’s CBS Arena, where goals from Wilson Isidor and Eliezer Mayenda helped the Black Cats secure their first win against Coventry since 2007.
Coventry, however, remain dangerous and have shown resilience throughout the season, making this tie far from decided.
Former first-team coach of Coventry, George Boateng, has weighed in on the contest, backing the Sky Blues to progress to the Premier League.
“Beginning of the season, Sunderland were flying and playing good football with some outstanding young players and scoring goals. Then they had a number of injuries, which made them dip a bit.
"Since Sunderland qualified, they haven’t been in the best shape. I feel like in the playoffs, you can’t just pick your form. You have to be in form going into the playoffs then things happen automatically,” he said in an exclusive interview with Flashscore.
“Coventry is in good shape, although they had a difficult start when I was there. They have managed to pick up their performances, and the individual mistakes are a lot less. They deserve to be at the playoffs based on the way they have performed under Frank Lampard,” he added.
Boateng’s confidence in Coventry sets the stage for a mouth-watering second leg, where the Sky Blues will look to overturn the deficit in front of a passionate away crowd.
Sunderland, meanwhile, will be aiming to capitalise on their strong home play-off record, having never lost a home leg in the Football League playoffs.
The Ghanaian believes the near misses in the previous play-offs from Coventry could serve as a source of inspiration.
“Hopefully, they are able to go all the way. Two years ago, they lost the play-off final to Luton Town, and I am sure if they get that opportunity for a second time, they will know how to handle such a situation at Wembley.”
Salis Samed yet to fully flourish at Sunderland
Alongside his thoughts on the play-off semi-final, Boateng also shared insights on Ghanaian midfielder Abdul Salis Samed, who has had a challenging season with Sunderland.
Despite high hopes following his loan move from RC Lens, Samed’s campaign has been hampered by injuries and limited playing time.
“Salis Samed is a very good midfielder and we were lucky to have him at the World Cup in Qatar. He was one of the surprising players that came into the squad and fit in perfectly playing alongside Thomas Partey,” Boateng said.
Statistically, Samed’s impact this season has been underwhelming. The 25-year-old has made just 10 appearances across all competitions, totalling 283 minutes in the Championship.
His limited minutes reflect ongoing fitness struggles, including a calf injury that sidelined him for several weeks.
“Coming into the Championship with Sunderland was difficult because of the injury he had. He had a long-term injury that kept him out for a while, and breaking into the first team has been difficult.
"He has been very unfortunate with injuries, but he is a player with attributes that I think are suited for the English game. If the loan can be extended to next season, then we can expect more from Samed given he stays fit because he is a valuable asset.”
Despite Samed’s promising debut performances, where he showed composure and defensive awareness, his inability to maintain consistent playing time has hindered his influence on the team’s promotion push.
The Ghanaian was an unused substitute in the play-off semi-final first leg against Coventry and will hope to play a role in the crucial second leg on Tuesday.
Follow the game with Flashscore.
