Coventry against The Tractor Boys, The Foxes v The Rams, and More EFL Action Previews
Greetings to a full evening of Football League as well as international soccer fixtures. We'll be covering key Championship encounters and those pivotal last group matches in this Africa Cup of Nations tournament.
Introduction
Greetings to all. Welcome to the arguably the second-to-last football clockwatch of the year. We have a full EFL slate, kicking off with Coventry v Ipswich at 18:00, and we will also monitor a close watch on the two evening fixtures from the first group at this Africa Cup of Nations: Zambia against the hosts Morocco as well as Comoros v Mali.
We'll be focussing on these games, all 7.45pm start times except where noted.
Afcon 2025
- The Coelacanths v The Eagles (19:00)
- Zambia versus The Atlas Lions (19:00)
Championship
- The Sky Blues versus The Tractor Boys (18:00)
- Leicester versus Derby
- Boro versus Hull
- The Lions versus Bristol City
- The Red Dragons versus Preston
Third Tier Fixture
- The Bluebirds versus Boro
Latest Team News
Coventry v Ipswich Confirmed Lineups
The evening's opener, featuring the sides sitting first and third in the second tier, could be a thriller. These are the confirmed lineups.
Coventry City (a 4-2-3-1 formation) Rushworth; the right-back, Woolfenden, Kitching, Brau; the midfielder, Grimes; Sakamoto, the attacking midfielder, Mason-Clark; Wright.
Substitutes: Wilson, Allen, the forward, the defender, the full-back, the defender, Eccles, Perry, the player.
Ipswich (a 4-2-3-1 setup) Walton; Furlong, the centre-half, the defender, the left-back; Matusiwa, the midfielder; the attacker, the playmaker, Jack Clarke; Azon.
Substitutes: Palmer, the defender, Johnson, the defender, Cajuste, Burns, McAteer, the attacker, the striker.
Referee Anthony Backhouse (from Cumbria).
Afcon 2025: First Group Scenarios
The situation is complex. It always is where only some third-placed sides progress. Here’s how things look before tonight’s last set of games.
- The Atlas Lions 4 points, GD+2
- The Eagles 2 points, GD0 (goals scored 2)
- Zambia 2pts, GD0 (with 1 goal for)
- Comoros 1pt, GD-2
To summarize, Morocco is likely safe but will want to beat Zambia to win their pool. Zambia likely requires at least a point against the hosts. Comoros probably must to overcome Mali, who will probably be okay with a point.
Lotta ins, lotta outs, lotta what-have-yous.
Angola v Egypt Update
The final act to the second group at this continental championship is being covered. To avoid spoilers, 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 |