The Sky Blues v The Tractor Boys, The Foxes against Derby, and Additional EFL League Previews
Welcome to the packed evening of Football League as well as international football action. The spotlight falls on key second-tier clashes and those pivotal last pool games in this Afcon tournament.
Opening Notes
Oh, hi folks. Welcome to the arguably this penultimate soccer clockwatch of 2025. We have an extensive EFL programme, kicking off with Coventry v Ipswich at 18:00, and we’ll also be keeping at least a third of an eye on both night fixtures from the first group at the Africa Cup of Nations: Morocco hosting Zambia and Mali facing Comoros.
We'll be focussing on these fixtures, with 7.45pm start times unless stated.
Afcon 2025
- Comoros v The Eagles (19:00)
- The Copper Bullets versus Morocco (7pm)
Championship
- Coventry versus Ipswich (6pm)
- Leicester versus The Rams
- Middlesbrough v The Tigers
- Millwall v Bristol City
- Wrexham v Preston
League One
- Cardiff v Boro
Latest Team News
Ipswich at Coventry Confirmed Lineups
The evening's opener, between the teams who are first and third in the Championship, promises to be an exciting match. These are the confirmed lineups.
Coventry (4-2-3-1) The goalkeeper; van Ewijk, Woolfenden, the defender, Brau; Torp, Grimes; the winger, Rudoni, the forward; the striker.
Subs: The backup keeper, the midfielder, the forward, Kesler-Hayden, the full-back, the defender, Eccles, Perry, the player.
Ipswich (4-2-3-1) The shot-stopper; the defender, the centre-half, the defender, the left-back; Matusiwa, the midfielder; Walle, the playmaker, the winger; the centre-forward.
Subs: Palmer, the defender, Johnson, Humphreys, Cajuste, the winger, McAteer, Philogene-Bidace, Akpom.
The official Backhouse (from Cumbria).
Afcon 2025: First Group Scenarios
It's a tricky picture. That's often the case where only some third-place sides qualify. This is the current state ahead of tonight’s final set of matches.
- Morocco 4pts, +2 goal difference
- The Eagles 2pts, 0 goal difference (goals scored 2)
- The Copper Bullets 2 points, 0 goal difference (with 1 goal for)
- Comoros 1pt, -2 goal difference
To summarize, Morocco are probably fine though they will aim to defeat their opponents to top their pool. Zambia probably need a draw or better versus the hosts. The island nation likely must to overcome their rivals, who should advance with a draw.
A host of potential results and permutations.
Angola v Egypt Update
The conclusion to the second group at the continental championship has coverage elsewhere. If you don’t want to know the score, it's best not to seek out that information.
Championship 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 |
