The Sky Blues v Ipswich, Leicester versus The Rams, and More EFL Action Updates
Welcome for the busy night of Football League and international soccer action. Our focus includes key Championship encounters and those crucial last group games in this Afcon tournament.
Opening Notes
Greetings to all. Welcome to the reportedly this penultimate soccer clockwatch of the year. We have a full Football League slate, kicking off with Ipswich's trip to Coventry at 18:00, while we will also monitor at least a third of an eye on both evening games from Group A at this Afcon: Zambia against the hosts Morocco as well as Comoros v Mali.
We'll be focussing on the following matches, all 7.45pm kick-offs except where noted.
Afcon 2025
- Comoros versus Mali (7pm)
- The Copper Bullets v Morocco (19:00)
Second Division Matches
- Coventry v Ipswich (6pm)
- The Foxes v Derby
- Boro versus Hull
- The Lions versus The Robins
- The Red Dragons versus North End
League One
- Cardiff v Stevenage
Recent Lineup Updates
Ipswich at Coventry Confirmed Lineups
The evening's opener, featuring the sides sitting top and third in the Championship, looks like an exciting match. These are the two XIs.
Coventry City (4-2-3-1) Rushworth; van Ewijk, Woolfenden, Kitching, Brau; the midfielder, Grimes; Sakamoto, Rudoni, the forward; the striker.
Substitutes: The backup keeper, the midfielder, the forward, the defender, Bidwell, the defender, the midfielder, the youngster, the player.
Ipswich (a 4-2-3-1 setup) Walton; the defender, O’Shea, the defender, the left-back; the midfielder, the midfielder; the attacker, Nunez, Jack Clarke; Azon.
Subs: The goalkeeper, Young, Johnson, the defender, Cajuste, the winger, McAteer, Philogene-Bidace, the striker.
Referee Backhouse (Cumbria).
Afcon 2025: First Group Permutations
The situation is complex. That's often the case when some but not all third-place sides progress. Here’s how things look ahead of this evening's last set of games.
- The Atlas Lions 4pts, +2 goal difference
- Mali 2 points, GD0 (goals scored 2)
- Zambia 2 points, 0 goal difference (goals scored 1)
- Comoros 1pt, -2 goal difference
Briefly, Morocco is likely safe but will want to beat Zambia to win their pool. Zambia probably need at least a point against Morocco. The island nation likely must to beat Mali, who should advance if they get a point.
Lotta ins, lotta outs, lotta what-have-yous.
Egypt's Match with Angola Latest
The final act of the second group at the Africa Cup of Nations has coverage elsewhere. To avoid spoilers, avoid following that coverage.
Second Tier Standings Snapshot
| 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 |