Coventry against The Tractor Boys, The Foxes v The Rams, and Additional EFL League Updates
Welcome to the full night of EFL and continental soccer fixtures. The spotlight falls on major Championship clashes plus the pivotal last pool matches in the Afcon tournament.
Introduction
Greetings to all. You are welcome to what is arguably this second-to-last football clockwatch of 2025. There’s a full EFL slate, kicking off with Coventry v Ipswich at 6pm, and we’ll also be keeping at least a third of an eye on both evening games from the first group at the Afcon: Zambia against the hosts Morocco and Comoros v Mali.
Our primary attention will be on these games, all 7.45pm kick-offs except where noted.
Afcon 2025
- Comoros versus The Eagles (19:00)
- Zambia v Morocco (7pm)
Second Division Matches
- Coventry v The Tractor Boys (6pm)
- The Foxes versus The Rams
- Boro versus Hull
- The Lions v The Robins
- The Red Dragons versus Preston
League One
- Cardiff v Stevenage
Recent Team News
Ipswich at Coventry Confirmed Lineups
The evening's opener, between the teams who are top and third in the Championship, promises to be a cracker. Here 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, the forward; the striker.
Substitutes: The backup keeper, the midfielder, the forward, Kesler-Hayden, the full-back, the defender, the midfielder, Perry, the player.
Ipswich Town (4-2-3-1) The shot-stopper; Furlong, O’Shea, Kipre, Greaves; the midfielder, Taylor; the attacker, the playmaker, Jack Clarke; the centre-forward.
Substitutes: The goalkeeper, the defender, Johnson, Humphreys, the midfielder, the winger, McAteer, the attacker, Akpom.
The official Backhouse (Cumbria).
Afcon 2025: Group A Scenarios
It's a tricky picture. That's often the case where only some third-place teams qualify. Here’s how things look before this evening's last round of games.
- The Atlas Lions 4 points, GD+2
- Mali 2 points, GD0 (goals scored 2)
- Zambia 2 points, 0 goal difference (with 1 goal for)
- Comoros 1 point, -2 goal difference
To summarize, Morocco is likely safe though they will aim to defeat their opponents to top their pool. Zambia probably need a draw or better against the hosts. The island nation likely must to beat Mali, who should advance if they get a draw.
A host of potential results and permutations.
Egypt's Match with Angola Update
The conclusion of Group B at the Africa Cup of Nations has coverage elsewhere. To avoid spoilers, avoid following that coverage.
Championship Standings 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 |
