COVENTRY may be six places and six points better off than the Blues, but manager Chris Coleman is talking down any thoughts of making the Championship play-offs.

Elvin King

COVENTRY may be six places and six points better off than the Blues, but manager Chris Coleman is talking down any thoughts of making the Championship play-offs.

The Sky Blues visit Portman Road today (kick-off 3pm) looking to make it a league double having won the opening game of the season 2-1 at the Ricoh Arena.

Coleman watched Town's 1-1 draw at Leicester City on Sunday after which Ipswich manager Roy Keane said: “I still think we are capable of having a good season, and that would include getting into the play-offs.”

“You can never be written off because sixth place can be available to eight, nine or ten teams. You have to believe and be a dreamer - and I am a dreamer.”

Coleman summed up his reading of the situation when he said: “If Ipswich think they can get into the play-offs, good for them.

“But we're all different, our targets are different and all I say to my players is that we need to finish as high as we can.

“It's possible but I don't think we're quite there yet. Our squad is not as big or as full as Ipswich's so maybe that's why Roy thinks that's a target for them.

“I think we might need to take another step before we can make an assault on the play-offs.”

Coventry are six points off the play-off places, and Coleman added: “There are a lot of games to play and it would only take a couple of wins to get us up near the play-offs.

“But I'm very careful about using that word because although we're in a decent position I don't want anybody to get carried away.”

In Keane's first home as Ipswich manager his team beat Coventry 2-1 in the final match of last season - a result that helped install them as one of the promotion favourites.

Coleman went on: “Roy set out his stall at the start of the season.

“He has been in this league before with Sunderland but it's very, very hard these days and I think he's found it difficult the same as the rest of us.

“When a team like Ipswich is at the wrong end of the table, it shows you just what a tough league this is.

“There's no divine right to succeed, I can promise you that - you have to be something a little bit special.

“Roy's got some squad of players. I always say that you're as strong as your bench and having watched them against Leicester - a game they really should have won - you can see that he's got that.

“They've got some big lads and they're quite direct. They play at a high tempo but they don't just use one formation, they chop and change.

“It's obvious we're facing a really tough game, but we think we're good enough to get a result.

“It would be great to come back with a point and it's not out of the question to say it could be three.”