Coventry against The Tractor Boys, Leicester v Derby, and More EFL League Updates
Greetings to a packed evening of EFL as well as continental soccer fixtures. The spotlight falls on major second-tier matches and those pivotal last group matches in the Africa Cup of Nations tournament.
Introduction
Oh, hi folks. You are welcome to the reportedly the penultimate football live blog of 2025. There’s an extensive Football League slate, starting with Ipswich's trip to Coventry at 6pm, and we will also monitor a close watch on the two night fixtures from the first group at this Afcon: Zambia against the hosts Morocco as well as Mali facing Comoros.
Our primary attention will be on the following matches, with 7.45pm start times except where noted.
Afcon 2025
- Comoros v Mali (7pm)
- The Copper Bullets versus The Atlas Lions (7pm)
Championship
- Coventry v The Tractor Boys (6pm)
- The Foxes v Derby
- Boro versus Hull
- The Lions v The Robins
- The Red Dragons versus Preston
Third Tier Fixture
- Cardiff v Boro
Latest Lineup Updates
Ipswich at Coventry Team News
The evening's opener, between the teams who are top and third in the second tier, promises to be an exciting match. Here are the two XIs.
Coventry City (4-2-3-1) The goalkeeper; the right-back, the centre-back, Kitching, the left-back; the midfielder, the captain; the winger, Rudoni, Mason-Clark; Wright.
Subs: The backup keeper, the midfielder, the forward, the defender, Bidwell, the defender, Eccles, the youngster, the player.
Ipswich Town (4-2-3-1) Walton; Furlong, O’Shea, Kipre, Greaves; Matusiwa, Taylor; the attacker, Nunez, the winger; Azon.
Subs: The goalkeeper, the defender, Johnson, the defender, the midfielder, Burns, the forward, the attacker, Akpom.
Referee Backhouse (Cumbria).
Afcon 2025: First Group Scenarios
It's a tricky picture. It always is when some but not all third-place teams progress. This is the current state ahead of tonight’s final round of matches.
- The Atlas Lions 4pts, +2 goal difference
- The Eagles 2 points, 0 goal difference (goals scored 2)
- Zambia 2 points, 0 goal difference (goals scored 1)
- The Coelacanths 1pt, -2 goal difference
Briefly, Morocco is likely safe but will want to beat their opponents to top their pool. Zambia probably need a draw or better versus the hosts. The island nation likely must to beat Mali, who should advance if they get a point.
Many possibilities, various outcomes, plenty of scenarios.
Angola v Egypt Update
The final act to the second group 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 |
