The Sky Blues against The Tractor Boys, Leicester v The Rams, along with More EFL League Updates
Greetings to the full night of EFL as well as continental football fixtures. Our focus includes key second-tier encounters plus the pivotal last group games in this Afcon competition.
Opening Notes
Oh, hi folks. You are welcome to the checks writing desk rota this penultimate soccer live blog of 2025. We have a full Football League schedule, kicking off with Ipswich's trip to Coventry at 6pm, while we will also monitor at least a third of an eye on the two night games from the first group at this Afcon: Zambia against the hosts Morocco and Mali facing Comoros.
We'll be focussing on the following games, all 19:45 kick-offs unless stated.
Afcon 2025
- The Coelacanths versus Mali (7pm)
- Zambia v Morocco (19:00)
Championship
- Coventry v The Tractor Boys (18:00)
- The Foxes versus The Rams
- Middlesbrough versus Hull
- The Lions versus The Robins
- Wrexham v North End
Third Tier Fixture
- Cardiff v Stevenage
Recent Team News
Coventry v Ipswich Team News
The early game, featuring the sides sitting top and third in the second tier, could be a thriller. These are the confirmed lineups.
Coventry City (4-2-3-1) Rushworth; van Ewijk, Woolfenden, the defender, Brau; the midfielder, Grimes; Sakamoto, Rudoni, Mason-Clark; the striker.
Substitutes: The backup keeper, the midfielder, the forward, the defender, the full-back, the defender, Eccles, the youngster, Andrews.
Ipswich (a 4-2-3-1 setup) The shot-stopper; the defender, the centre-half, the defender, the left-back; the midfielder, Taylor; Walle, Nunez, Jack Clarke; the centre-forward.
Subs: Palmer, Young, the midfielder, the defender, the midfielder, Burns, McAteer, Philogene-Bidace, the striker.
Referee Backhouse (from Cumbria).
Africa Cup of Nations: First Group Permutations
Look, it’s complicated. That's often the case where only some third-place sides progress. This is the current state before tonight’s last round of games.
- The Atlas Lions 4pts, GD+2
- The Eagles 2 points, 0 goal difference (with 2 goals for)
- The Copper Bullets 2 points, GD0 (with 1 goal for)
- The Coelacanths 1pt, GD-2
Briefly, Morocco are probably fine but will want to beat their opponents and win their pool. Zambia likely requires a draw or better against the hosts. Comoros likely need to overcome Mali, who will probably be okay if they get a draw.
Lotta ins, lotta outs, lotta what-have-yous.
Egypt's Match with Angola Latest
The conclusion to the second group at this continental championship has coverage elsewhere. To avoid spoilers, avoid following that coverage.
Championship Table 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 |
