The Sky Blues v Ipswich, The Foxes against The Rams, and More Football League Previews
Welcome for a busy evening of EFL and international soccer fixtures. We'll be covering major Championship clashes plus the pivotal last pool matches in the Afcon competition.
Preamble
Hello everyone. Welcome to the reportedly this second-to-last football live blog of 2025. We have an extensive Football League slate, kicking off with Ipswich's trip to Coventry at 18:00, while we’ll also be keeping a close watch on both night fixtures from the first group at the Afcon: Zambia against the hosts Morocco as well as Comoros v Mali.
Our primary attention will be on these matches, with 19:45 kick-offs except where noted.
Afcon 2025
- Comoros versus The Eagles (19:00)
- Zambia v Morocco (7pm)
Second Division Matches
- The Sky Blues v The Tractor Boys (6pm)
- The Foxes v The Rams
- Middlesbrough v Hull
- Millwall versus Bristol City
- Wrexham v Preston
Third Tier Fixture
- Cardiff versus Stevenage
Recent Lineup Updates
Coventry v Ipswich Team News
The evening's opener, between the teams who are top and third in the second tier, could be a thriller. Here are the confirmed lineups.
Coventry City (4-2-3-1) Rushworth; the right-back, Woolfenden, Kitching, the left-back; Torp, Grimes; Sakamoto, the attacking midfielder, Mason-Clark; Wright.
Substitutes: Wilson, the midfielder, Simms, Kesler-Hayden, Bidwell, the defender, Eccles, the youngster, Andrews.
Ipswich Town (4-2-3-1) Walton; Furlong, O’Shea, the defender, the left-back; the midfielder, Taylor; the attacker, Nunez, the winger; the centre-forward.
Subs: The goalkeeper, Young, the midfielder, Humphreys, the midfielder, Burns, the forward, Philogene-Bidace, the striker.
The official Backhouse (Cumbria).
Afcon 2025: First Group Scenarios
The situation is complex. That's often the case when some but not all third-placed sides qualify. This is the current state ahead of tonight’s last set of matches.
- The Atlas Lions 4 points, GD+2
- The Eagles 2 points, GD0 (with 2 goals for)
- The Copper Bullets 2pts, 0 goal difference (goals scored 1)
- Comoros 1 point, -2 goal difference
In short, Morocco are probably fine but will want to beat Zambia and win their pool. Zambia probably need a draw or better versus the hosts. Comoros probably need to beat Mali, who will probably be okay if they get a draw.
Many possibilities, various outcomes, plenty of scenarios.
Angola v Egypt Update
The final act of Group B at the Africa Cup of Nations is being covered. If you don’t want to know the score, don’t click the link.
Championship 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 |
