Coventry against Ipswich, Leicester v The Rams, along with More EFL League Updates
Welcome for the full evening of Football League and continental soccer action. We'll be covering important Championship matches and the crucial last pool games in the Africa Cup of Nations competition.
Introduction
Oh, hi folks. You are welcome to the arguably the penultimate football live blog of the year. We have an extensive Football League programme, starting with Coventry v Ipswich at 6pm, while we’ll also be keeping at least a third of an eye on the two night fixtures from the first group at the Africa Cup of Nations: Morocco hosting Zambia and Comoros v Mali.
Our primary attention will be on the following matches, with 19:45 start times unless stated.
Afcon 2025
- The Coelacanths v Mali (19:00)
- Zambia v The Atlas Lions (7pm)
Championship
- The Sky Blues v Ipswich (6pm)
- Leicester v The Rams
- Middlesbrough v The Tigers
- The Lions v The Robins
- Wrexham v North End
Third Tier Fixture
- The Bluebirds v Stevenage
Recent Lineup Updates
Coventry v Ipswich Confirmed Lineups
The early game, featuring the sides sitting first and third in the second tier, looks like a thriller. Here are the two XIs.
Coventry (4-2-3-1) The goalkeeper; van Ewijk, the centre-back, the defender, the left-back; Torp, Grimes; the winger, the attacking midfielder, Mason-Clark; Wright.
Subs: Wilson, Allen, Simms, the defender, Bidwell, the defender, Eccles, the youngster, the player.
Ipswich (4-2-3-1) The shot-stopper; Furlong, O’Shea, Kipre, Greaves; Matusiwa, the midfielder; the attacker, Nunez, the winger; the centre-forward.
Subs: The goalkeeper, the defender, Johnson, Humphreys, the midfielder, Burns, the forward, the attacker, Akpom.
Referee Backhouse (Cumbria).
Afcon 2025: Group A Scenarios
It's a tricky picture. That's often the case when some but not all third-placed sides progress. Here’s how things look ahead of this evening's final set of matches.
- Morocco 4pts, +2 goal difference
- The Eagles 2 points, 0 goal difference (with 2 goals for)
- The Copper Bullets 2pts, GD0 (with 1 goal for)
- Comoros 1pt, -2 goal difference
To summarize, Morocco is likely safe though they will aim to beat their opponents and top their pool. Zambia likely requires a draw or better versus the hosts. Comoros likely must to overcome Mali, who will probably be okay with a point.
Lotta ins, lotta outs, lotta what-have-yous.
Egypt's Match with Angola Latest
The conclusion to 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 |