The Sky Blues v The Tractor Boys, Leicester v The Rams, and Additional EFL Action Updates
Greetings for a full night of Football League as well as continental football fixtures. We'll be covering key Championship clashes and those pivotal final group games in this Africa Cup of Nations tournament.
Preamble
Hello everyone. You are welcome to what is arguably the second-to-last football clockwatch of 2025. We have an extensive EFL slate, kicking off with Coventry v Ipswich at 18:00, and we’ll also be keeping a close watch on both night games from Group A at the Africa Cup of Nations: Morocco hosting Zambia and Mali facing Comoros.
We'll be focussing on the following fixtures, with 7.45pm start times unless stated.
Africa Cup of Nations Fixtures
- The Coelacanths v Mali (19:00)
- Zambia v Morocco (7pm)
Championship
- The Sky Blues v The Tractor Boys (6pm)
- The Foxes v The Rams
- Boro versus The Tigers
- The Lions versus Bristol City
- Wrexham versus North End
League One
- The Bluebirds v Stevenage
Recent Lineup Updates
Ipswich at Coventry Confirmed Lineups
The evening's opener, between the teams who are top and third in the second tier, promises to be an exciting match. These are the confirmed lineups.
Coventry City (4-2-3-1) The goalkeeper; the right-back, the centre-back, the defender, Brau; the midfielder, Grimes; Sakamoto, the attacking midfielder, Mason-Clark; Wright.
Substitutes: Wilson, Allen, the forward, Kesler-Hayden, Bidwell, the defender, Eccles, the youngster, Andrews.
Ipswich Town (a 4-2-3-1 setup) The shot-stopper; Furlong, O’Shea, the defender, Greaves; Matusiwa, the midfielder; Walle, the playmaker, Jack Clarke; Azon.
Subs: The goalkeeper, Young, Johnson, Humphreys, the midfielder, Burns, the forward, the attacker, the striker.
The official Backhouse (Cumbria).
Afcon 2025: Group A Scenarios
Look, it’s complicated. That's often the case when some but not all third-placed sides qualify. Here’s how things look ahead of tonight’s final set of matches.
- Morocco 4 points, +2 goal difference
- Mali 2 points, 0 goal difference (goals scored 2)
- The Copper Bullets 2 points, GD0 (goals scored 1)
- Comoros 1pt, -2 goal difference
To summarize, Morocco are probably fine but will want to defeat their opponents and top their pool. Zambia probably need a draw or better versus Morocco. The island nation likely must to overcome their rivals, who will probably be okay with a draw.
Lotta ins, lotta outs, lotta what-have-yous.
Angola v Egypt Latest
The denouement to Group B at this Africa Cup of Nations has coverage elsewhere. If you don’t want to know the score, avoid following that coverage.
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 |
