Premier League dreams will be made and cruelly dashed as a fairytale Championship play-off final takes place at a sun-soaked Wembley this afternoon. There is a real romantic element to the latest edition of the so-called ‘richest game in football’, which only increases in importance every year as the financial riches associated with the English top-flight continue to rocket.
Incredibly today’s game was a League Two fixture just five years ago, with these two teams having both battled back from the brink. Coventry have not been at the top level since 2001, hauled away from the basement by the inspirational Mark Robins despite constant off-field struggles and often without a home ground to call their own. They were bottom of the second tier as recently as October before a remarkable run.
Luton, meanwhile, dropped out of the Football League entirely in 2009 amid questions over their future, spending five years as a non-league club before some superb seasons under John Still, Nathan Jones and now Rob Edwards. They have never played in the Premier League before, relegated just before its inception in 1992. Follow Coventry vs Luton in the Championship play-off final live below!
Live updates
Coventry vs Luton prediction
It’s third facing fifth in Championship terms, so you would expect Luton to have the edge but the bookies are backing Coventry as slight favourites, spearheaded by perhaps the best player outside the Premier League in Swedish striker Viktor Gyokeres.
Wembley should be treated to a close game between two direct sides, with one goal likely settling it. These two teams don’t concede many, but aren’t prolific scorers either. It will be tense!
Luton to win 1-0, after extra time.
Luton team news
Luton have almost an entirely clean bill of health for today’s huge game at Wembley.
Midfielder Alfie Doughty shook off a fitness scare to play the full 90 minutes of the rousing 2-0 win over Sunderland at Kenilworth Road that sent the Hatters to within one game of the Premier League.
However, Rob Edwards will be without the services of striker Cauley Woodrow, who has not managed to overcome a knee problem that has kept him sidelined since the 1-1 draw at relegated Reading on April 19.
Coventry team news
The key team news from a Coventry perspective is that influential Brazilian-born Dutch midfielder Gustavo Hamer has shrugged off a knee injury to be fit to play this afternoon.
He of course scored that memorable winner in the semi-final second-leg upset of Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium last week.
Callum O’Hare and Fabio Tavares remain long-term absentees for the Sky Blues, while Kasey Palmer has been working on his fitness after a hamstring injury.
Striker Tyler Walker also remains doubtful.
How to watch Coventry vs Luton
TV channel: In the UK, today’s game will be televised live on Sky Sports, with coverage beginning at 4pm BST on Sky Sports Football and 4:30pm on Sky Sports Main Event.
Live stream: Subscribers can also catch the contest live online via the Sky Go app.
Welcome to Coventry vs Luton live coverage!
Hello and welcome to the Evening Standard’s live coverage of Coventry vs Luton in the Championship play-off final.
There is beautiful sunshine at Wembley Stadium for the so-called ‘richest game in football’ this afternoon, with lofty Premier League ambitions set to be realised and brutally ripped away on a day of contrasting emotions.
No one would have predicted these two sides making it to this point, with a real sense of romance associated with today’s occasion.
Both Coventry and Luton have been on remarkable upward curves after years of struggle and peril, having played each other in League Two as recently as 2018.
Kick-off in north-west London is at 4:45pm BST, so stay tuned for all the latest team news, match build-up, thoughts from both camps and live updates of the game itself.
The stakes couldn’t be higher as the promised land awaits!
