Coventry against The Tractor Boys, Leicester v The Rams, and Additional Football League Previews
Hello for the full evening of Football League and international soccer fixtures. The spotlight falls on major second-tier matches plus those pivotal final pool matches in this Africa Cup of Nations tournament.
Preamble
Hello everyone. Welcome to the arguably the penultimate soccer live blog of 2025. There’s an extensive EFL slate, kicking off with Coventry v Ipswich at 18:00, while we’ll also be keeping at least a third of an eye on both night games from Group A at the Afcon: Morocco hosting Zambia and Mali facing Comoros.
We'll be focussing on these fixtures, all 19:45 kick-offs unless stated.
Afcon 2025
- Comoros versus Mali (19:00)
- Zambia versus Morocco (7pm)
Second Division Matches
- The Sky Blues v The Tractor Boys (6pm)
- The Foxes v The Rams
- Middlesbrough v Hull
- The Lions versus Bristol City
- Wrexham versus Preston
Third Tier Fixture
- Cardiff versus Boro
Latest Lineup Updates
Coventry v Ipswich Confirmed Lineups
The evening's opener, featuring the sides sitting first and third in the Championship, promises to be a thriller. Here 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, Mason-Clark; the striker.
Substitutes: The backup keeper, the midfielder, the forward, Kesler-Hayden, the full-back, the defender, the midfielder, Perry, the player.
Ipswich (a 4-2-3-1 setup) The shot-stopper; the defender, the centre-half, the defender, Greaves; the midfielder, Taylor; the attacker, the playmaker, Jack Clarke; the centre-forward.
Subs: Palmer, the defender, the midfielder, the defender, Cajuste, Burns, the forward, Philogene-Bidace, the striker.
Referee Anthony Backhouse (Cumbria).
Africa Cup of Nations: Group A Permutations
It's a tricky picture. It always is when some but not all third-placed teams qualify. This is the current state ahead of this evening's last round of games.
- The Atlas Lions 4 points, +2 goal difference
- The Eagles 2 points, 0 goal difference (goals scored 2)
- Zambia 2pts, GD0 (with 1 goal for)
- The Coelacanths 1 point, GD-2
To summarize, Morocco are probably fine but will want to beat Zambia and win their pool. Zambia likely requires at least a point against Morocco. The island nation probably need to overcome their rivals, who should advance if they get a point.
Many possibilities, various outcomes, plenty of scenarios.
Angola v Egypt Latest
The denouement to the second group at the 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 |
