The Sky Blues versus Ipswich, Leicester v Derby, along with Additional EFL League Previews
Hello for a busy evening of EFL as well as continental soccer fixtures. Our focus includes important Championship encounters plus those crucial last pool matches in the Africa Cup of Nations tournament.
Introduction
Oh, hi folks. Welcome to what is arguably the penultimate soccer live blog of 2025. We have an extensive Football League slate, kicking off with Coventry v Ipswich at 6pm, while we will also monitor a close watch on the two night fixtures from the first group at this Africa Cup of Nations: Morocco hosting Zambia and Mali facing Comoros.
We'll be focussing on these fixtures, all 19:45 kick-offs unless stated.
Afcon 2025
- Comoros v Mali (19:00)
- Zambia v Morocco (19:00)
Second Division Matches
- The Sky Blues versus The Tractor Boys (18:00)
- Leicester v The Rams
- Middlesbrough v The Tigers
- The Lions versus Bristol City
- Wrexham v North End
League One
- The Bluebirds versus Boro
Recent Lineup Updates
Ipswich at Coventry Team News
The evening's opener, featuring the sides sitting first and third in the Championship, could be an exciting match. These are the confirmed lineups.
Coventry (4-2-3-1) The goalkeeper; van Ewijk, Woolfenden, the defender, the left-back; the midfielder, the captain; Sakamoto, Rudoni, the forward; Wright.
Substitutes: Wilson, the midfielder, the forward, Kesler-Hayden, the full-back, the defender, the midfielder, the youngster, the player.
Ipswich (4-2-3-1) The shot-stopper; Furlong, the centre-half, Kipre, the left-back; Matusiwa, Taylor; Walle, the playmaker, the winger; the centre-forward.
Substitutes: The goalkeeper, Young, Johnson, the defender, Cajuste, Burns, the forward, Philogene-Bidace, Akpom.
The official Anthony Backhouse (Cumbria).
Afcon 2025: Group A Permutations
The situation is complex. That's often the case when some but not all third-placed sides progress. Here’s how things look before this evening's last set of games.
- Morocco 4pts, +2 goal difference
- The Eagles 2 points, 0 goal difference (goals scored 2)
- Zambia 2 points, 0 goal difference (goals scored 1)
- Comoros 1 point, GD-2
Briefly, Morocco are probably fine but will want to beat Zambia to top the group. Zambia probably need at least a point versus the hosts. The island nation probably need to beat Mali, who will probably be okay with a point.
Lotta ins, lotta outs, lotta what-have-yous.
Egypt's Match with Angola Latest
The final act of the second group at the continental championship has coverage elsewhere. To avoid spoilers, 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 |
