The Sky Blues v Ipswich, The Foxes v The Rams, along with Additional EFL League Previews
Welcome to a busy night of Football League as well as international football fixtures. The spotlight falls on important second-tier encounters and those pivotal final group games in the Africa Cup of Nations tournament.
Opening Notes
Hello everyone. You are welcome to what is arguably this second-to-last soccer live blog of the year. We have an extensive Football League programme, starting with Ipswich's trip to Coventry at 6pm, and we’ll also be keeping a close watch on both evening 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 fixtures, all 7.45pm start times except where noted.
Africa Cup of Nations Fixtures
- The Coelacanths v The Eagles (19:00)
- The Copper Bullets v Morocco (7pm)
Championship
- Coventry versus The Tractor Boys (6pm)
- The Foxes v Derby
- Middlesbrough v Hull
- Millwall v The Robins
- The Red Dragons versus North End
Third Tier Fixture
- The Bluebirds versus Stevenage
Recent Lineup Updates
Coventry v Ipswich Team News
The evening's opener, featuring the sides sitting top and third in the Championship, looks like a cracker. Here are the two XIs.
Coventry (a 4-2-3-1 formation) Rushworth; van Ewijk, Woolfenden, the defender, Brau; the midfielder, the captain; the winger, the attacking midfielder, Mason-Clark; the striker.
Substitutes: The backup keeper, Allen, the forward, the defender, the full-back, Latibeaudiere, the midfielder, the youngster, the player.
Ipswich Town (a 4-2-3-1 setup) The shot-stopper; Furlong, O’Shea, Kipre, the left-back; Matusiwa, the midfielder; the attacker, Nunez, Jack Clarke; the centre-forward.
Substitutes: Palmer, the defender, Johnson, Humphreys, Cajuste, the winger, McAteer, Philogene-Bidace, the striker.
The official Anthony Backhouse (from Cumbria).
Afcon 2025: Group A Permutations
The situation is complex. It always is where only some third-placed teams qualify. Here’s how things look ahead of this evening's last round of games.
- Morocco 4 points, GD+2
- Mali 2 points, GD0 (with 2 goals for)
- The Copper Bullets 2pts, 0 goal difference (goals scored 1)
- The Coelacanths 1 point, GD-2
To summarize, Morocco are probably fine though they will aim to beat Zambia to top their pool. Zambia likely requires at least a point versus the hosts. The island nation likely must to overcome their rivals, who should advance if they get a point.
Many possibilities, various outcomes, plenty of scenarios.
Angola v Egypt Latest
The denouement to the second group at the continental championship has coverage elsewhere. For those wishing to remain unaware, it's best not to seek out that information.
Second Tier Table 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 |
