The Sky Blues v Ipswich, The Foxes versus Derby, along with More EFL League Updates
Hello for the packed evening of EFL and continental football action. The spotlight falls on major second-tier encounters and the pivotal last group matches in the Africa Cup of Nations tournament.
Preamble
Greetings to all. You are welcome to the arguably the second-to-last soccer clockwatch of 2025. There’s a full EFL schedule, starting with Coventry v Ipswich at 18:00, and we’ll also be keeping at least a third of an eye on both evening games from Group A at this Afcon: Zambia against the hosts Morocco and Comoros v Mali.
We'll be focussing on these matches, with 7.45pm start times except where noted.
Afcon 2025
- Comoros versus Mali (19:00)
- The Copper Bullets versus Morocco (19:00)
Second Division Matches
- The Sky Blues versus The Tractor Boys (18:00)
- The Foxes versus Derby
- Boro versus Hull
- Millwall v The Robins
- The Red Dragons v North End
Third Tier Fixture
- Cardiff v Stevenage
Latest Team News
Coventry v Ipswich Confirmed Lineups
The evening's opener, between the teams who are first and third in the Championship, promises to be a cracker. Here are the two XIs.
Coventry (a 4-2-3-1 formation) The goalkeeper; van Ewijk, the centre-back, Kitching, the left-back; the midfielder, the captain; the winger, the attacking midfielder, the forward; the striker.
Substitutes: Wilson, Allen, Simms, Kesler-Hayden, Bidwell, the defender, Eccles, Perry, Andrews.
Ipswich Town (4-2-3-1) The shot-stopper; the defender, the centre-half, the defender, Greaves; Matusiwa, the midfielder; Walle, Nunez, the winger; Azon.
Subs: The goalkeeper, Young, Johnson, Humphreys, the midfielder, Burns, McAteer, the attacker, Akpom.
Referee Backhouse (from Cumbria).
Afcon 2025: First Group Scenarios
Look, it’s complicated. That's often the case where only some third-placed teams progress. This is the current state ahead of tonight’s final round of games.
- The Atlas Lions 4pts, +2 goal difference
- Mali 2pts, GD0 (with 2 goals for)
- Zambia 2pts, 0 goal difference (goals scored 1)
- The Coelacanths 1 point, -2 goal difference
Briefly, Morocco are probably fine but will want to beat their opponents and top their pool. Zambia likely requires a draw or better against Morocco. Comoros likely must to overcome Mali, who should advance with a point.
A host of potential results and permutations.
Egypt's Match with Angola Latest
The final act of Group B at the Africa Cup of Nations has coverage elsewhere. To avoid spoilers, it's best not to seek out that information.
Second Tier 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 |
