The Sky Blues v The Tractor Boys, Leicester against Derby, and Additional EFL Action Previews
Greetings for a full evening of EFL and continental football fixtures. The spotlight falls on key second-tier matches plus those crucial last pool games in the Africa Cup of Nations competition.
Opening Notes
Oh, hi folks. You are welcome to the checks writing desk rota the penultimate football clockwatch of the year. We have a full EFL programme, starting with Ipswich's trip to Coventry at 18:00, and we’ll also be keeping at least a third of an eye on the two evening fixtures from the first group at this Africa Cup of Nations: Zambia against the hosts Morocco as well as Mali facing Comoros.
We'll be focussing on the following matches, all 7.45pm kick-offs unless stated.
Afcon 2025
- The Coelacanths v The Eagles (19:00)
- Zambia versus The Atlas Lions (7pm)
Championship
- The Sky Blues v The Tractor Boys (18:00)
- Leicester v The Rams
- Boro versus Hull
- Millwall versus Bristol City
- The Red Dragons versus Preston
League One
- The Bluebirds v Stevenage
Latest Lineup Updates
Coventry v Ipswich Team News
The evening's opener, between the teams who are first and third in the second tier, looks like a thriller. These are the confirmed lineups.
Coventry (4-2-3-1) The goalkeeper; van Ewijk, the centre-back, the defender, Brau; the midfielder, the captain; Sakamoto, the attacking midfielder, Mason-Clark; Wright.
Substitutes: The backup keeper, Allen, the forward, Kesler-Hayden, the full-back, Latibeaudiere, Eccles, the youngster, Andrews.
Ipswich Town (4-2-3-1) The shot-stopper; the defender, the centre-half, the defender, the left-back; Matusiwa, Taylor; Walle, the playmaker, the winger; the centre-forward.
Subs: The goalkeeper, Young, Johnson, the defender, the midfielder, Burns, the forward, the attacker, the striker.
Referee Backhouse (from Cumbria).
Africa Cup of Nations: First Group Scenarios
Look, it’s complicated. That's often the case where only some third-place teams progress. Here’s how things look before this evening's last round of games.
- The Atlas Lions 4pts, GD+2
- The Eagles 2 points, 0 goal difference (with 2 goals for)
- The Copper Bullets 2 points, 0 goal difference (with 1 goal for)
- Comoros 1 point, -2 goal difference
In short, Morocco are probably fine though they will aim to defeat Zambia and win their pool. Zambia likely requires at least a point versus the hosts. The island nation probably need to beat their rivals, who will probably be okay with a draw.
A host of potential results and permutations.
Angola v Egypt Update
The denouement of Group B at the Africa Cup of Nations has coverage elsewhere. For those wishing to remain unaware, don’t click the link.
Second Tier Table 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 |
