The Sky Blues v The Tractor Boys, The Foxes against The Rams, and More EFL League Previews
Welcome to a full night of Football League as well as continental football action. The spotlight falls on key Championship clashes and those pivotal last group games in the Africa Cup of Nations tournament.
Introduction
Oh, hi folks. Welcome to what is checks writing desk rota this penultimate football clockwatch of the year. There’s a full EFL schedule, starting with Ipswich's trip to Coventry at 18:00, and we will also monitor a close watch on both evening games from Group A at the Afcon: Zambia against the hosts Morocco as well as Mali facing Comoros.
We'll be focussing on the following games, all 19:45 start times except where noted.
Afcon 2025
- Comoros versus The Eagles (19:00)
- Zambia v Morocco (7pm)
Championship
- The Sky Blues v The Tractor Boys (6pm)
- Leicester versus Derby
- Middlesbrough versus The Tigers
- Millwall v Bristol City
- The Red Dragons versus North End
Third Tier Fixture
- Cardiff versus Stevenage
Recent Lineup Updates
Coventry v Ipswich Team News
The early game, between the teams who are first and third in the second tier, promises to be a cracker. These are the starting elevens.
Coventry City (a 4-2-3-1 formation) The goalkeeper; van Ewijk, Woolfenden, Kitching, Brau; the midfielder, the captain; the winger, Rudoni, the forward; Wright.
Substitutes: Wilson, Allen, Simms, Kesler-Hayden, Bidwell, Latibeaudiere, the midfielder, Perry, Andrews.
Ipswich (a 4-2-3-1 setup) Walton; Furlong, the centre-half, the defender, the left-back; the midfielder, the midfielder; the attacker, the playmaker, Jack Clarke; Azon.
Subs: The goalkeeper, Young, the midfielder, Humphreys, Cajuste, the winger, McAteer, the attacker, the striker.
Referee Backhouse (from Cumbria).
Africa Cup of Nations: Group A Permutations
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 set of matches.
- Morocco 4pts, +2 goal difference
- Mali 2pts, 0 goal difference (goals scored 2)
- Zambia 2 points, GD0 (goals scored 1)
- Comoros 1pt, -2 goal difference
In short, Morocco are probably fine though they will aim to beat Zambia to win their pool. Zambia probably need a draw or better against the hosts. Comoros probably must to beat their rivals, who should advance with a draw.
Lotta ins, lotta outs, lotta what-have-yous.
Egypt's Match with Angola Latest
The final act of Group B at this continental championship is being covered. If you don’t want to know the score, avoid following that coverage.
Second Tier 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 |
