Coventry versus Ipswich, The Foxes v The Rams, along with Additional Football League Updates
Greetings to the packed night of EFL and continental soccer fixtures. We'll be covering key Championship matches plus the pivotal last group matches in this Afcon competition.
Preamble
Hello everyone. You are welcome to the reportedly this second-to-last soccer live blog of 2025. We have a full Football League schedule, kicking off with Coventry v Ipswich at 6pm, while we will also monitor a close watch on both night games from Group A at the Afcon: Morocco hosting Zambia as well as Mali facing Comoros.
We'll be focussing on these fixtures, all 19:45 start times unless stated.
Africa Cup of Nations Fixtures
- Comoros v The Eagles (19:00)
- Zambia versus Morocco (19:00)
Championship
- The Sky Blues v Ipswich (18:00)
- The Foxes v The Rams
- Boro versus The Tigers
- Millwall v Bristol City
- The Red Dragons versus Preston
Third Tier Fixture
- Cardiff versus Stevenage
Recent Team News
Ipswich at Coventry Confirmed Lineups
The early game, between the teams who are top and third in the Championship, could be a thriller. These are the starting elevens.
Coventry (4-2-3-1) The goalkeeper; the right-back, Woolfenden, Kitching, the left-back; the midfielder, Grimes; Sakamoto, the attacking midfielder, Mason-Clark; Wright.
Substitutes: Wilson, Allen, Simms, Kesler-Hayden, the full-back, the defender, Eccles, Perry, Andrews.
Ipswich (4-2-3-1) The shot-stopper; the defender, the centre-half, the defender, Greaves; the midfielder, Taylor; the attacker, the playmaker, Jack Clarke; the centre-forward.
Subs: Palmer, the defender, the midfielder, the defender, Cajuste, the winger, the forward, Philogene-Bidace, Akpom.
The official Anthony Backhouse (Cumbria).
Africa Cup of Nations: First Group Permutations
It's a tricky picture. That's often the case when some but not all third-place sides progress. Here’s how things look before tonight’s last set of games.
- Morocco 4 points, GD+2
- Mali 2 points, GD0 (with 2 goals for)
- The Copper Bullets 2 points, GD0 (goals scored 1)
- The Coelacanths 1pt, GD-2
Briefly, Morocco are probably fine but will want to beat their opponents to top the group. Zambia probably need a draw or better against Morocco. The island nation likely need to overcome Mali, who should advance if they get a draw.
Many possibilities, various outcomes, plenty of scenarios.
Angola v Egypt Latest
The conclusion of the second group at the 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 |
