The Sky Blues v Ipswich, Leicester versus The Rams, and More Football League Previews
Welcome for a full night of EFL and continental football action. We'll be covering major second-tier matches plus the pivotal final pool games in this Africa Cup of Nations competition.
Opening Notes
Oh, hi folks. Welcome to the arguably this penultimate football live blog of 2025. There’s a full EFL slate, kicking off with Coventry v Ipswich at 18:00, and we will also monitor at least a third of an eye on both night games from Group A at the Afcon: Zambia against the hosts Morocco and Comoros v Mali.
We'll be focussing on the following fixtures, with 19:45 start times unless stated.
Africa Cup of Nations Fixtures
- Comoros v Mali (19:00)
- Zambia v Morocco (19:00)
Championship
- Coventry v The Tractor Boys (18:00)
- Leicester v Derby
- Boro versus The Tigers
- Millwall v The Robins
- Wrexham versus Preston
Third Tier Fixture
- The Bluebirds versus Stevenage
Latest Team News
Coventry v Ipswich Team News
The evening's opener, between the teams who are first and third in the second tier, promises to be a cracker. Here are the starting elevens.
Coventry City (a 4-2-3-1 formation) The goalkeeper; van Ewijk, the centre-back, Kitching, Brau; the midfielder, Grimes; Sakamoto, the attacking midfielder, Mason-Clark; Wright.
Subs: Wilson, the midfielder, the forward, Kesler-Hayden, the full-back, Latibeaudiere, Eccles, Perry, the player.
Ipswich Town (4-2-3-1) The shot-stopper; the defender, O’Shea, Kipre, Greaves; Matusiwa, the midfielder; the attacker, the playmaker, Jack Clarke; the centre-forward.
Subs: Palmer, the defender, the midfielder, Humphreys, the midfielder, 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 where only some third-placed teams qualify. This is the current state before tonight’s final set of games.
- The Atlas Lions 4 points, +2 goal difference
- Mali 2 points, GD0 (with 2 goals for)
- Zambia 2pts, 0 goal difference (with 1 goal for)
- Comoros 1 point, GD-2
Briefly, Morocco is likely safe though they will aim to beat Zambia and win the group. Zambia likely requires a draw or better versus Morocco. Comoros probably need to beat their rivals, who will probably be okay with a point.
A host of potential results and permutations.
Angola v Egypt Update
The denouement to Group B at the Africa Cup of Nations is being covered. If you don’t want to know the score, don’t click the link.
Championship Standings 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 |
