The Sky Blues v Ipswich, The Foxes against The Rams, and More EFL Action Previews
Greetings for a packed night of Football League as well as international soccer action. The spotlight falls on key second-tier encounters plus the crucial last pool matches in this Africa Cup of Nations tournament.
Preamble
Hello everyone. You are welcome to what is reportedly the second-to-last soccer live blog of the year. There’s an extensive EFL slate, kicking off with Ipswich's trip to Coventry at 18:00, and we will also monitor a close watch on both evening games from Group A at the Afcon: Morocco hosting Zambia and Comoros v Mali.
We'll be focussing on these games, all 19:45 start times unless stated.
Afcon 2025
- The Coelacanths versus The Eagles (19:00)
- Zambia v The Atlas Lions (19:00)
Championship
- Coventry versus The Tractor Boys (6pm)
- Leicester v The Rams
- Middlesbrough versus The Tigers
- The Lions v The Robins
- The Red Dragons versus North End
League One
- Cardiff v Boro
Latest Lineup Updates
Ipswich at Coventry Confirmed Lineups
The evening's opener, featuring the sides sitting top and third in the Championship, could be an exciting match. These are the two XIs.
Coventry (4-2-3-1) The goalkeeper; van Ewijk, the centre-back, Kitching, Brau; Torp, the captain; Sakamoto, Rudoni, the forward; Wright.
Substitutes: The backup keeper, Allen, Simms, the defender, Bidwell, the defender, Eccles, Perry, the player.
Ipswich Town (4-2-3-1) The shot-stopper; the defender, O’Shea, the defender, the left-back; the midfielder, the midfielder; the attacker, Nunez, the winger; Azon.
Substitutes: Palmer, the defender, Johnson, the defender, Cajuste, Burns, the forward, Philogene-Bidace, the striker.
Referee Anthony Backhouse (Cumbria).
Afcon 2025: Group A Permutations
It's a tricky picture. That's often the case where only some third-placed teams qualify. Here’s how things look before this evening's last round of games.
- Morocco 4 points, GD+2
- Mali 2 points, GD0 (with 2 goals for)
- Zambia 2pts, GD0 (goals scored 1)
- Comoros 1 point, GD-2
To summarize, Morocco is likely safe but will want to beat Zambia and win their pool. Zambia probably need at least a point versus Morocco. The island nation likely need to beat Mali, who should advance with a point.
Lotta ins, lotta outs, lotta what-have-yous.
Angola v Egypt Latest
The final act to the second group at the continental championship has coverage elsewhere. To avoid spoilers, 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 |
