Coventry against The Tractor Boys, Leicester against The Rams, along with More Football Action Previews
Hello to the packed evening of Football League as well as continental football fixtures. The spotlight falls on major Championship matches plus the pivotal final group games in the Afcon competition.
Preamble
Greetings to all. Welcome to what is reportedly this penultimate soccer clockwatch of 2025. There’s a full EFL programme, kicking off with Coventry v Ipswich at 6pm, and we will also monitor a close watch on the two night games from the first group at the Afcon: Morocco hosting Zambia as well as Mali facing Comoros.
Our primary attention will be on these games, all 7.45pm kick-offs unless stated.
Afcon 2025
- Comoros versus Mali (19:00)
- Zambia v Morocco (19:00)
Second Division Matches
- The Sky Blues v The Tractor Boys (18:00)
- Leicester v The Rams
- Middlesbrough v Hull
- Millwall v Bristol City
- The Red Dragons v North End
League One
- The Bluebirds v Boro
Recent Team News
Coventry v Ipswich Team News
The early game, featuring the sides sitting first and third in the Championship, looks like a cracker. Here are the two XIs.
Coventry (4-2-3-1) The goalkeeper; the right-back, Woolfenden, Kitching, Brau; Torp, Grimes; Sakamoto, Rudoni, Mason-Clark; the striker.
Substitutes: Wilson, Allen, the forward, Kesler-Hayden, Bidwell, Latibeaudiere, the midfielder, Perry, Andrews.
Ipswich Town (a 4-2-3-1 setup) The shot-stopper; Furlong, O’Shea, the defender, Greaves; the midfielder, Taylor; the attacker, the playmaker, Jack Clarke; the centre-forward.
Subs: Palmer, the defender, the midfielder, the defender, the midfielder, the winger, the forward, Philogene-Bidace, the striker.
The official Backhouse (Cumbria).
Africa Cup of Nations: Group A Scenarios
The situation is complex. That's often the case when some but not all third-place sides qualify. This is the current state before this evening's final round of games.
- The Atlas Lions 4 points, GD+2
- Mali 2 points, 0 goal difference (goals scored 2)
- Zambia 2pts, 0 goal difference (with 1 goal for)
- Comoros 1pt, GD-2
Briefly, Morocco are probably fine but will want to defeat Zambia to win the group. Zambia probably need a draw or better against Morocco. The island nation probably must to beat Mali, who should advance if they get a draw.
Lotta ins, lotta outs, lotta what-have-yous.
Angola v Egypt Latest
The denouement of the second group at this Africa Cup of Nations has coverage elsewhere. To avoid spoilers, it's best not to seek out that information.
Second Tier Standings 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 |
