Coventry versus Ipswich, Leicester against Derby, and More EFL League Updates
Greetings for a packed evening of EFL as well as international soccer fixtures. The spotlight falls on important Championship matches and those pivotal final pool matches in this Afcon tournament.
Opening Notes
Greetings to all. You are welcome to what is arguably this second-to-last soccer clockwatch of the year. We have an extensive Football League slate, starting with Ipswich's trip to Coventry at 18:00, while we’ll also be keeping at least a third of an eye on both evening games from Group A at the Afcon: Morocco hosting Zambia as well as Comoros v Mali.
We'll be focussing on these games, with 19:45 start times except where noted.
Afcon 2025
- The Coelacanths v The Eagles (7pm)
- Zambia v The Atlas Lions (7pm)
Second Division Matches
- The Sky Blues v The Tractor Boys (6pm)
- Leicester v Derby
- Boro versus The Tigers
- Millwall v Bristol City
- Wrexham versus Preston
Third Tier Fixture
- The Bluebirds v Boro
Latest Team News
Ipswich at Coventry Confirmed Lineups
The evening's opener, between the teams who are first and third in the second tier, looks like an exciting match. Here are the confirmed lineups.
Coventry City (4-2-3-1) The goalkeeper; the right-back, Woolfenden, the defender, the left-back; Torp, the captain; the winger, the attacking midfielder, the forward; Wright.
Subs: Wilson, the midfielder, the forward, Kesler-Hayden, the full-back, Latibeaudiere, the midfielder, Perry, Andrews.
Ipswich (a 4-2-3-1 setup) Walton; Furlong, O’Shea, the defender, Greaves; the midfielder, the midfielder; the attacker, Nunez, the winger; the centre-forward.
Substitutes: Palmer, the defender, the midfielder, Humphreys, Cajuste, the winger, the forward, the attacker, the striker.
Referee Anthony Backhouse (from Cumbria).
Afcon 2025: First Group Permutations
Look, it’s complicated. That's often the case when some but not all third-place sides qualify. This is the current state ahead of tonight’s final round of matches.
- The Atlas Lions 4 points, +2 goal difference
- The Eagles 2 points, GD0 (with 2 goals for)
- Zambia 2 points, GD0 (with 1 goal for)
- The Coelacanths 1 point, GD-2
To summarize, Morocco are probably fine but will want to beat Zambia to win their pool. Zambia likely requires at least a point versus Morocco. Comoros likely must to beat Mali, who will probably be okay with a draw.
A host of potential results and permutations.
Angola v Egypt Latest
The final act of Group B at the Africa Cup of Nations 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 |
