The Sky Blues v The Tractor Boys, The Foxes against The Rams, along with Additional EFL League Updates
Hello for the full evening of Football League as well as continental football fixtures. The spotlight falls on major Championship clashes plus the crucial final group games in the Afcon competition.
Introduction
Oh, hi folks. You are welcome to what is reportedly the penultimate football clockwatch of 2025. There’s an extensive EFL 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 fixtures from Group A at this Africa Cup of Nations: Zambia against the hosts Morocco and Comoros v Mali.
Our primary attention will be on the following games, with 7.45pm kick-offs except where noted.
Afcon 2025
- The Coelacanths v The Eagles (7pm)
- The Copper Bullets versus The Atlas Lions (19:00)
Championship
- Coventry versus Ipswich (18:00)
- Leicester v The Rams
- Middlesbrough v Hull
- Millwall v Bristol City
- Wrexham v Preston
League One
- Cardiff versus Boro
Recent Team News
Ipswich at Coventry Team News
The evening's opener, between the teams who are first and third in the second tier, promises to be a thriller. These are the confirmed lineups.
Coventry City (a 4-2-3-1 formation) Rushworth; van Ewijk, Woolfenden, the defender, the left-back; Torp, the captain; Sakamoto, the attacking midfielder, the forward; the striker.
Substitutes: Wilson, Allen, Simms, Kesler-Hayden, Bidwell, Latibeaudiere, Eccles, Perry, the player.
Ipswich (4-2-3-1) The shot-stopper; the defender, O’Shea, Kipre, Greaves; Matusiwa, Taylor; Walle, the playmaker, the winger; the centre-forward.
Substitutes: The goalkeeper, Young, Johnson, Humphreys, Cajuste, Burns, the forward, Philogene-Bidace, the striker.
Referee Anthony Backhouse (from Cumbria).
Afcon 2025: Group A Scenarios
It's a tricky picture. That's often the case when some but not all third-place teams qualify. Here’s how things look ahead of this evening's last set of matches.
- Morocco 4 points, +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
To summarize, Morocco is likely safe but will want to beat their opponents and win their pool. Zambia probably need at least a point against Morocco. Comoros probably need to beat their rivals, who should advance with a draw.
Many possibilities, various outcomes, plenty of scenarios.
Angola v Egypt Latest
The final act of Group B at this continental championship has coverage elsewhere. If you don’t want to know the score, don’t click the link.
Second Tier 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 |
