Preview: Notts County lock horns with Coventry City in League Two playoff semi-final first leg

Head to head

Notts County and Coventry have met just 40 times over the years.

The first encounter took place on the 6th November 1920, the match at Meadow Lane ending in a 1-1 draw.

The last one was just over a month ago, on April 7, and in the League Two encounter at Meadow Lane, the Magpies ran out 2-1 winners.

However, the reverse fixture, on the opening day of the 2017-18 season, saw Coventry beat Notts 3-0 at the Ricoh Arena.

There have plenty of high-scoring games between the two, with several 5-1s, 3-0s and 4-2s over the years.

Notts County have the upper hand in the head-to-heads – 20 victories over the Sky Blues, 12 defeats and 8 draws.

In their last eight league encounters with the Sky Blues, Notts have won four, drawn two and lost two.

Standings and form

Coventry's form over their last 10 league games is decent, with five wins, three defeats, and two draws.

Mark Robins's side only made sure of their playoff place on the last day of the regular season, drawing 0-0 with Morecambe to see them finish sixth in the table.

Coventry have scored 64 goals this season, level with Exeter and Lincoln - Notts have scored the most in the playoffs with 71 - but have conceded the least, 47.

Team news

Robins has tinkered with his side in Coventry's last three games, using three different forward line-ups, with Marc McNulty, Jonson Clarke-Harris and Maxime Biamou playing their parts.

After playing with one up front and a packed midfield in their defeat to Lincoln, Robins has since reverted to a 4-4-2 formation, with improved results.

Kevin Nolan, meanwhile, has a fully-fit squad to choose from, though he did state that Mason Bennett would not be involved as he continues his rehabilitation at parent club Derby County.

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