The Sky Blues versus The Tractor Boys, The Foxes against The Rams, along with Additional EFL League Previews
Welcome for the busy evening of EFL as well as international football fixtures. The spotlight falls on major second-tier encounters and the crucial final pool games in the Afcon tournament.
Opening Notes
Oh, hi folks. You are welcome to what is reportedly this penultimate football live blog of the year. There’s a full EFL slate, starting with Ipswich's trip to Coventry at 6pm, while we’ll also be keeping at least a third of an eye on both night fixtures from Group A at the Africa Cup of Nations: Zambia against the hosts Morocco as well as Comoros v Mali.
We'll be focussing on the following fixtures, with 19:45 kick-offs unless stated.
Afcon 2025
- Comoros versus The Eagles (7pm)
- Zambia versus Morocco (7pm)
Second Division Matches
- The Sky Blues versus The Tractor Boys (6pm)
- The Foxes v Derby
- Boro v The Tigers
- The Lions versus The Robins
- The Red Dragons versus North End
League One
- Cardiff v Stevenage
Latest Team News
Ipswich at Coventry Team News
The early game, featuring the sides sitting first and third in the second tier, could be an exciting match. These are the confirmed lineups.
Coventry (a 4-2-3-1 formation) Rushworth; van Ewijk, the centre-back, the defender, the left-back; the midfielder, Grimes; Sakamoto, the attacking midfielder, the forward; Wright.
Substitutes: The backup keeper, the midfielder, Simms, Kesler-Hayden, the full-back, the defender, Eccles, the youngster, the player.
Ipswich (a 4-2-3-1 setup) The shot-stopper; the defender, O’Shea, the defender, Greaves; Matusiwa, the midfielder; the attacker, the playmaker, the winger; Azon.
Subs: Palmer, Young, the midfielder, Humphreys, the midfielder, the winger, McAteer, the attacker, Akpom.
Referee Anthony Backhouse (from Cumbria).
Africa Cup of Nations: First Group Scenarios
Look, it’s complicated. It always is when some but not all third-place sides progress. This is the current state ahead of tonight’s final set of games.
- Morocco 4pts, GD+2
- The Eagles 2 points, GD0 (goals scored 2)
- The Copper Bullets 2 points, GD0 (goals scored 1)
- The Coelacanths 1 point, GD-2
Briefly, Morocco are probably fine but will want to beat Zambia and top their pool. Zambia likely requires a draw or better against Morocco. The island nation likely must to beat their rivals, who should advance if they get a draw.
A host of potential results and permutations.
Angola v Egypt Update
The conclusion to Group B at the Africa Cup of Nations is being covered. If you don’t want to know the score, it's best not to seek out that information.
Championship 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 |
