Coventry against The Tractor Boys, Leicester versus Derby, along with More EFL Action Previews
Hello for a packed night of Football League and continental football fixtures. The spotlight falls on important Championship clashes plus those crucial final group matches in this Africa Cup of Nations tournament.
Introduction
Greetings to all. You are welcome to what is arguably the penultimate soccer live blog of the year. We have an extensive Football League programme, kicking off with Coventry v Ipswich at 6pm, and we’ll also be keeping a close watch on both evening fixtures from the first group at this Africa Cup of Nations: Zambia against the hosts Morocco and Mali facing Comoros.
Our primary attention will be on these fixtures, all 19:45 start times except where noted.
Afcon 2025
- The Coelacanths versus The Eagles (19:00)
- Zambia versus The Atlas Lions (7pm)
Championship
- Coventry versus The Tractor Boys (6pm)
- Leicester versus The Rams
- Boro v The Tigers
- The Lions versus Bristol City
- The Red Dragons v North End
League One
- The Bluebirds v Stevenage
Recent Team News
Coventry v Ipswich Confirmed Lineups
The early game, featuring the sides sitting first and third in the Championship, could be a cracker. Here are the two XIs.
Coventry (4-2-3-1) The goalkeeper; the right-back, Woolfenden, the defender, Brau; the midfielder, the captain; the winger, the attacking midfielder, Mason-Clark; Wright.
Subs: The backup keeper, Allen, the forward, Kesler-Hayden, the full-back, Latibeaudiere, Eccles, the youngster, the player.
Ipswich Town (a 4-2-3-1 setup) Walton; Furlong, O’Shea, Kipre, Greaves; the midfielder, Taylor; the attacker, Nunez, Jack Clarke; Azon.
Subs: The goalkeeper, Young, Johnson, the defender, Cajuste, the winger, McAteer, Philogene-Bidace, Akpom.
Referee Backhouse (Cumbria).
Afcon 2025: First Group Permutations
The situation is complex. That's often the case where only some third-placed teams qualify. This is the current state ahead of this evening's last set of matches.
- Morocco 4 points, +2 goal difference
- The Eagles 2 points, 0 goal difference (goals scored 2)
- The Copper Bullets 2 points, GD0 (goals scored 1)
- The Coelacanths 1pt, -2 goal difference
In short, Morocco are probably fine though they will aim to beat Zambia and win the group. Zambia likely requires a draw or better against the hosts. The island nation probably must to overcome Mali, who will probably be okay if they get a draw.
Many possibilities, various outcomes, plenty of scenarios.
Egypt's Match with Angola Update
The final act of Group B at the Africa Cup of Nations has coverage elsewhere. To avoid spoilers, don’t click the link.
Championship 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 |
