The Sky Blues against The Tractor Boys, The Foxes v Derby, and Additional EFL League Updates
Welcome for the packed evening of Football League as well as continental soccer fixtures. We'll be covering major second-tier encounters plus those crucial final pool matches in this Afcon tournament.
Preamble
Greetings to all. Welcome to the arguably this penultimate soccer clockwatch of 2025. We have a full Football League slate, starting with Ipswich's trip to Coventry at 18:00, while we will also monitor at least a third of an eye on the two evening games from the first group at this Afcon: Zambia against the hosts Morocco and Comoros v Mali.
We'll be focussing on the following games, with 19:45 kick-offs unless stated.
Africa Cup of Nations Fixtures
- Comoros versus Mali (19:00)
- The Copper Bullets v Morocco (7pm)
Championship
- The Sky Blues versus Ipswich (6pm)
- The Foxes versus Derby
- Boro versus The Tigers
- The Lions versus The Robins
- The Red Dragons versus Preston
League One
- Cardiff versus Boro
Recent Lineup Updates
Ipswich at Coventry Confirmed Lineups
The early game, between the teams who are first and third in the second tier, looks like a thriller. These are the starting elevens.
Coventry (a 4-2-3-1 formation) The goalkeeper; van Ewijk, the centre-back, Kitching, Brau; Torp, Grimes; Sakamoto, Rudoni, Mason-Clark; the striker.
Subs: Wilson, the midfielder, the forward, Kesler-Hayden, Bidwell, the defender, the midfielder, the youngster, the player.
Ipswich Town (a 4-2-3-1 setup) Walton; the defender, O’Shea, Kipre, Greaves; Matusiwa, Taylor; Walle, the playmaker, Jack Clarke; Azon.
Substitutes: The goalkeeper, the defender, the midfielder, the defender, the midfielder, the winger, the forward, Philogene-Bidace, Akpom.
The official Anthony Backhouse (Cumbria).
Afcon 2025: Group A Permutations
It's a tricky picture. It always is when some but not all third-place sides qualify. Here’s how things look before this evening's final round of matches.
- Morocco 4pts, +2 goal difference
- Mali 2 points, 0 goal difference (goals scored 2)
- The Copper Bullets 2pts, GD0 (goals scored 1)
- The Coelacanths 1 point, GD-2
In short, Morocco are probably fine but will want to beat their opponents to win the group. Zambia probably need a draw or better versus Morocco. The island nation probably need to beat their rivals, who will probably be okay with a draw.
Lotta ins, lotta outs, lotta what-have-yous.
Angola v Egypt Update
The conclusion to the second group at the continental championship is being covered. To avoid spoilers, avoid following that coverage.
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 |
