Coventry versus The Tractor Boys, Leicester against Derby, along with More EFL Action Previews
Greetings for the packed evening of EFL as well as continental football action. Our focus includes important Championship clashes plus the crucial last group games in this Africa Cup of Nations competition.
Preamble
Oh, hi folks. You are welcome to the checks writing desk rota the second-to-last football live blog of the year. There’s an extensive Football League slate, kicking off with Coventry v Ipswich at 18:00, and we will also monitor a close watch on the two evening games from the first group at this Afcon: Morocco hosting Zambia as well as Mali facing Comoros.
We'll be focussing on the following games, all 19:45 start times except where noted.
Africa Cup of Nations Fixtures
- Comoros v Mali (19:00)
- The Copper Bullets versus Morocco (19:00)
Championship
- The Sky Blues versus Ipswich (18:00)
- The Foxes versus The Rams
- Middlesbrough versus The Tigers
- Millwall v The Robins
- Wrexham v North End
Third Tier Fixture
- Cardiff v Boro
Latest Team News
Ipswich at Coventry Team News
The early game, featuring the sides sitting first and third in the second tier, could be a cracker. Here are the two XIs.
Coventry (4-2-3-1) Rushworth; the right-back, Woolfenden, the defender, Brau; the midfielder, the captain; the winger, the attacking midfielder, the forward; Wright.
Subs: The backup keeper, the midfielder, the forward, the defender, the full-back, Latibeaudiere, the midfielder, Perry, Andrews.
Ipswich Town (a 4-2-3-1 setup) The shot-stopper; Furlong, the centre-half, the defender, the left-back; the midfielder, the midfielder; the attacker, Nunez, the winger; Azon.
Substitutes: Palmer, Young, the midfielder, Humphreys, the midfielder, the winger, McAteer, the attacker, the striker.
Referee Backhouse (from Cumbria).
Afcon 2025: First Group Permutations
Look, it’s complicated. That's often the case where only some third-placed sides qualify. This is the current state ahead of tonight’s final round of games.
- The Atlas Lions 4pts, GD+2
- The Eagles 2pts, GD0 (with 2 goals for)
- Zambia 2 points, 0 goal difference (with 1 goal for)
- The Coelacanths 1 point, GD-2
In short, Morocco are probably fine though they will aim to defeat Zambia to top the group. Zambia probably need at least a point against Morocco. Comoros probably need to beat Mali, who will probably be okay with a draw.
Lotta ins, lotta outs, lotta what-have-yous.
Angola v Egypt Update
The denouement to the second group at this Africa Cup of Nations has coverage elsewhere. To avoid spoilers, avoid following that coverage.
Second Tier Standings 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 |
