"At this moment in time" - Troy Deeney issues Coventry City, Sunderland prediction ahead of play-off clash | OneFootball

The Sky Blues host the Black Cats on Friday evening in the first leg of their semi-final battle.

Troy Deeney has backed the momentum that Coventry City have brought into the Championship play-offs to take them past Sunderland in the semi-finals.

We got our first reminder of how delicately balanced play-off football can be like on Thursday night.

Bristol City versus Sheffield United played out as a fairly even contest for most of the first-half, and then one header in behind led to Rob Dickie bringing down Kieffer Moore in the box. The defender was sent off and Harrison Burrows converted from the spot to give the Blades a 1-0 advantage just before the half.

One moment completely changed the outcome of the leg. It spurred Chris Wilder's side on to get a three-goal lead that will be very hard for the Robins to overturn at Bramall Lane.

Coventry and Sunderland have all of that drama to look forward to on Friday evening as they face each other at the CBS Arena. They both experienced the heartbreak that the post-season can provide two years ago, although the Sky Blues' loss to Luton Town at Wembley probably hit harder than that of the Black Cats'.

Now they are set to battle in what should be an intriguing contest between fourth and fifth, largely because of the way that they respectively ended the season.

Troy Deeney backs Coventry City to reach Championship play-off final over Sunderland

None of the four play-off sides have gone into the semi-finals with bags of form, but Frank Lampard's side are the most in form of the quartet. Sunderland, on the other hand, are at the opposite end of the spectrum.

People often say that form is irrelevant once you get to this stage of the season, but the huge contrast between Coventry and Sunderland's recent performances gives Lampard's lads the edge in this matchup, according to Deeney.

"Obviously Sunderland will feel similar to Sheffield United," former Watford striker Deeney told Sky Sports, following the Blades' 3-0 win at Ashton Gate.

"They've got their head around it (being in the play-offs), they've got that quality, 'we've finished fourth for a reason'. So they want to showcase what they've got.

"But, again, you can't have in the last six games, one point and one goal and expect people to be saying they are favourites. It just doesn't go like that...

"It's very difficult to rest players and go 'Right, we're going to click our fingers. We're bang on it'. The rhythm has to come, you have to do it.

"So they are underdogs in this situation, Sunderland, with all the pressure - it's a really weird combination that they have got.

"And I know the likes of Jobe (Bellingham) and these guys will be up for it and will probably be messaging me saying I don't know what I'm talking about, but, I just feel that at this moment in time Coventry have all the momentum in their favour."

Sunderland need to prove they are firing at the CBS Arena ahead of Stadium of Light return

Belief and confidence will take you a long way in life, but especially in sport. If you're not second-guessing decisions and playing purely on instinct, positive results are likely to follow.

Off the back of five consecutive defeats, it's incredibly tough to go into the next one thinking, despite what the league table may say, that you're the better team.

The home advantage is crucial at this point of the season, but Sunderland can't rely on the Mackems at the Stadium of Light to lift them in the second leg. They need to show that they are up for the fight away from home to inspire belief in the supporters and in themselves.