Visitors Coventry must overturn Sunderland's 2-1 first-leg lead at the Stadium of Light on Tuesday if they are to advance to the Champions League play-off final. In Friday's semi-final opener, the Black Cats won 2-1 thanks to goals from Wilson Isidore and Eliezer Mayenda in the final 22 minutes, although Jack Rudoni's 70th-minute strike meant Coventry still had a chance to advance.

Sunderland scored twice on the counter-attack against the Blues, but a defensive error led to the second goal, when Mayenda scored the winning goal in the 88th minute from Milan van Ewijk's return pass. The home side's goal against Coventry was crucial to boosting the team's confidence, as they had failed to score in five of their previous six games. Head coach Regis Le Brice won’t be celebrating reaching the Wembley final too soon as his side led Luton Town 2-1 in the first leg of the ​​2022-23 play-off semi-final only to lose 0-2 in the second leg.

While the Black Cats did win last time out, they have lost each of their previous five games and are winless in six. Sunderland have lost their last three home games 0-1 and have won just three of their last 11 games at the Stadium of Light.

Coventry created just one clear chance against the Black Cats in the first leg and head coach Frank Lampard will be stressing the importance of staying focused on Tuesday given that five of their last seven goals have come in the 65th minute or later. The visitors have struggled in both attack and defence in the final stages of the season, scoring just four goals while conceding six in their last four games. On November 9, Lampard's team drew 2-2 with Sunderland away in the league and earned a point; on March 15, in the second match of the Championship, Lampard's team defeated the home team 3-0. Coventry has lost three of its last four games (won one), and lost six of its last 11 games, drawing one. The club has failed to win in its last five away games, losing four of them.

Sunderland predicted starting lineup:

Patterson; Hume, Ballard, O'Nien, Cirkin; Roberts, Neil, Bellingham, Lefe; Mayenda, Isidore

Coventry predicted starting lineup:

Wilson; Van Ewijk, Thomas, Kitchen, Da Silva; Grimes, Sheff; Sakamoto, Rudoni, Wright; Thomas-Asante