Coventry against Ipswich, Leicester against Derby, along with Additional EFL League Updates
Greetings to the packed night of Football League as well as international soccer fixtures. We'll be covering major Championship encounters plus the pivotal final group games in the Afcon tournament.
Introduction
Oh, hi folks. Welcome to what is reportedly this penultimate football live blog of the year. There’s an extensive EFL programme, starting with Coventry v Ipswich at 6pm, and we’ll also be keeping a close watch on both night games from the first group at the Afcon: Morocco hosting Zambia as well as Mali facing Comoros.
We'll be focussing on these fixtures, all 7.45pm start times except where noted.
Afcon 2025
- The Coelacanths v The Eagles (7pm)
- Zambia v The Atlas Lions (7pm)
Championship
- The Sky Blues versus The Tractor Boys (18:00)
- The Foxes versus Derby
- Boro v The Tigers
- The Lions v Bristol City
- The Red Dragons versus North End
Third Tier Fixture
- Cardiff versus Stevenage
Latest Lineup Updates
Coventry v Ipswich Confirmed Lineups
The evening's opener, featuring the sides sitting top and third in the Championship, could be an exciting match. Here are the two XIs.
Coventry (a 4-2-3-1 formation) The goalkeeper; the right-back, the centre-back, Kitching, the left-back; Torp, the captain; Sakamoto, Rudoni, the forward; the striker.
Subs: Wilson, the midfielder, Simms, the defender, Bidwell, Latibeaudiere, the midfielder, Perry, Andrews.
Ipswich Town (a 4-2-3-1 setup) Walton; the defender, O’Shea, Kipre, Greaves; the midfielder, Taylor; Walle, Nunez, the winger; the centre-forward.
Subs: Palmer, the defender, the midfielder, the defender, Cajuste, the winger, McAteer, Philogene-Bidace, Akpom.
The official Anthony Backhouse (from Cumbria).
Afcon 2025: Group A Permutations
It's a tricky picture. That's often the case where only some third-place teams qualify. Here’s how things look before this evening's final set of matches.
- The Atlas Lions 4pts, +2 goal difference
- The Eagles 2pts, 0 goal difference (goals scored 2)
- The Copper Bullets 2pts, GD0 (goals scored 1)
- The Coelacanths 1 point, GD-2
To summarize, Morocco are probably fine but will want to defeat their opponents to win the group. Zambia probably need at least a point versus Morocco. The island nation likely must to overcome Mali, who should advance with a draw.
A host of potential results and permutations.
Angola v Egypt Update
The final act to Group B at the Africa Cup of Nations has coverage elsewhere. To avoid spoilers, 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 |
