Coventry against Ipswich, The Foxes versus The Rams, along with Additional EFL League Updates
Welcome to the busy evening of EFL and continental football fixtures. The spotlight falls on important second-tier matches and the pivotal final group games in this Africa Cup of Nations competition.
Preamble
Hello everyone. Welcome to the reportedly the penultimate soccer live blog of the year. We have an extensive Football League programme, kicking off with Ipswich's trip to Coventry at 6pm, and we’ll also be keeping a close watch on the two evening games from the first group at this Africa Cup of Nations: Zambia against the hosts Morocco as well as Mali facing Comoros.
Our primary attention will be on the following matches, all 19:45 start times except where noted.
Africa Cup of Nations Fixtures
- The Coelacanths versus The Eagles (7pm)
- The Copper Bullets versus Morocco (19:00)
Championship
- The Sky Blues versus The Tractor Boys (6pm)
- The Foxes v Derby
- Middlesbrough versus Hull
- Millwall versus The Robins
- The Red Dragons v Preston
Third Tier Fixture
- The Bluebirds versus Boro
Latest Lineup Updates
Ipswich at Coventry Team News
The early game, featuring the sides sitting first and third in the second tier, looks like an exciting match. These are the two XIs.
Coventry City (a 4-2-3-1 formation) Rushworth; van Ewijk, the centre-back, Kitching, the left-back; Torp, Grimes; Sakamoto, Rudoni, Mason-Clark; Wright.
Substitutes: The backup keeper, Allen, the forward, the defender, the full-back, Latibeaudiere, the midfielder, the youngster, the player.
Ipswich (4-2-3-1) Walton; Furlong, O’Shea, Kipre, Greaves; Matusiwa, the midfielder; Walle, Nunez, Jack Clarke; Azon.
Substitutes: The goalkeeper, the defender, the midfielder, the defender, the midfielder, Burns, the forward, Philogene-Bidace, the striker.
Referee Anthony Backhouse (Cumbria).
Afcon 2025: Group A Scenarios
It's a tricky picture. That's often the case when some but not all third-placed teams progress. Here’s how things look before this evening's last set of matches.
- Morocco 4pts, +2 goal difference
- The Eagles 2 points, GD0 (goals scored 2)
- The Copper Bullets 2 points, GD0 (with 1 goal for)
- The Coelacanths 1pt, -2 goal difference
To summarize, Morocco are probably fine but will want to defeat their opponents and win their pool. Zambia likely requires a draw or better against the hosts. The island nation likely must to beat Mali, who will probably be okay with a point.
A host of potential results and permutations.
Egypt's Match with Angola Latest
The denouement of the second group at this continental championship has coverage elsewhere. To avoid spoilers, avoid following that coverage.
Second Tier Table Overview
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coventry | 23 | 31 | 51 |
| 2 | Middlesbrough | 23 | 9 | 43 |
| 3 | Ipswich | 23 | 15 | 38 |
| 4 | Hull | 23 | 2 | 38 |
| 5 | Preston North End | 23 | 7 | 37 |
| 6 | Bristol City | 23 | 7 | 36 |
| 7 | Millwall | 23 | -6 | 36 |
| 8 | Watford | 23 | 4 | 35 |
| 9 | QPR | 23 | -2 | 35 |
| 10 | Stoke | 23 | 7 | 34 |
| 11 | Derby | 23 | 1 | 32 |
| 12 | Southampton | 23 | 4 | 31 |
| 13 | Wrexham | 23 | 2 | 31 |
| 14 | Leicester | 23 | -1 | 31 |
| 15 | Birmingham | 23 | 1 | 30 |
| 16 | West Brom | 23 | -5 | 28 |
| 17 | Charlton | 22 | -6 | 27 |
| 18 | Blackburn | 22 | -4 | 26 |
| 19 | Sheff Utd | 23 | -5 | 26 |
| 20 | Swansea | 23 | -7 | 26 |
| 21 | Oxford Utd | 23 | -8 | 22 |
| 22 | Portsmouth | 22 | -10 | 22 |
| 23 | Norwich | 23 | -9 | 21 |
| 24 | Sheff Wed | 22 | -27 | -8 |