The Sky Blues v The Tractor Boys, Leicester v The Rams, and Additional Football League Updates
Welcome for the full night of Football League and international football action. Our focus includes important Championship encounters and the crucial final group games in the Afcon tournament.
Opening Notes
Oh, hi folks. You are welcome to what is arguably this second-to-last soccer live blog of the year. There’s a full EFL schedule, kicking off with Coventry v Ipswich at 18:00, and we will also monitor a close watch on the two evening games from Group A at the Afcon: Morocco hosting Zambia as well as Mali facing Comoros.
Our primary attention will be on these matches, with 19:45 start times unless stated.
Africa Cup of Nations Fixtures
- Comoros versus Mali (7pm)
- Zambia versus The Atlas Lions (7pm)
Second Division Matches
- Coventry versus The Tractor Boys (18:00)
- Leicester v Derby
- Middlesbrough v The Tigers
- Millwall v Bristol City
- The Red Dragons v North End
League One
- The Bluebirds v Boro
Latest Team News
Coventry v Ipswich Team News
The early game, between the teams who are first and third in the second tier, looks like a thriller. These are the confirmed lineups.
Coventry City (4-2-3-1) Rushworth; van Ewijk, Woolfenden, Kitching, the left-back; the midfielder, the captain; Sakamoto, Rudoni, the forward; Wright.
Subs: Wilson, Allen, the forward, Kesler-Hayden, Bidwell, Latibeaudiere, the midfielder, the youngster, the player.
Ipswich Town (4-2-3-1) Walton; the defender, the centre-half, the defender, Greaves; Matusiwa, the midfielder; Walle, the playmaker, the winger; the centre-forward.
Substitutes: The goalkeeper, the defender, Johnson, Humphreys, Cajuste, Burns, the forward, Philogene-Bidace, Akpom.
Referee Anthony Backhouse (from Cumbria).
Afcon 2025: Group A Scenarios
The situation is complex. That's often the case when some but not all third-place teams qualify. Here’s how things look before this evening's final set of games.
- The Atlas Lions 4 points, +2 goal difference
- The Eagles 2pts, GD0 (with 2 goals for)
- Zambia 2pts, 0 goal difference (with 1 goal for)
- Comoros 1 point, -2 goal difference
Briefly, Morocco are probably fine though they will aim to beat Zambia and top the group. Zambia probably need a draw or better against Morocco. The island nation probably need to beat Mali, who will probably be okay with a draw.
Lotta ins, lotta outs, lotta what-have-yous.
Angola v Egypt Latest
The denouement of Group B 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 Standings 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 |
