Coventry against Ipswich, Leicester against The Rams, along with More EFL Action Updates
Greetings for the busy night of Football League and international soccer fixtures. We'll be covering major Championship clashes and the crucial last group games in the Africa Cup of Nations competition.
Opening Notes
Oh, hi folks. You are welcome to what is checks writing desk rota this second-to-last football clockwatch of 2025. There’s a full EFL programme, starting with Coventry v Ipswich at 18:00, and we’ll also be keeping a close watch on the two evening fixtures from Group A at this Africa Cup of Nations: Morocco hosting Zambia and Comoros v Mali.
Our primary attention will be on the following fixtures, all 7.45pm start times unless stated.
Afcon 2025
- Comoros v The Eagles (19:00)
- Zambia v The Atlas Lions (19:00)
Second Division Matches
- Coventry versus Ipswich (6pm)
- The Foxes v The Rams
- Boro versus The Tigers
- Millwall v Bristol City
- The Red Dragons versus North End
Third Tier Fixture
- The Bluebirds versus Boro
Latest Team News
Coventry v Ipswich Confirmed Lineups
The evening's opener, between the teams who are first and third in the second tier, looks like a cracker. Here are the starting elevens.
Coventry (a 4-2-3-1 formation) The goalkeeper; van Ewijk, the centre-back, the defender, the left-back; the midfielder, the captain; Sakamoto, Rudoni, Mason-Clark; Wright.
Substitutes: The backup keeper, Allen, Simms, Kesler-Hayden, the full-back, Latibeaudiere, the midfielder, Perry, the player.
Ipswich Town (a 4-2-3-1 setup) The shot-stopper; the defender, O’Shea, the defender, the left-back; the midfielder, Taylor; Walle, Nunez, the winger; the centre-forward.
Substitutes: Palmer, the defender, Johnson, the defender, the midfielder, Burns, McAteer, the attacker, Akpom.
The official Anthony Backhouse (from Cumbria).
Afcon 2025: First Group Scenarios
The situation is complex. That's often the case when some but not all third-place sides qualify. Here’s how things look ahead of tonight’s final set of matches.
- The Atlas Lions 4 points, +2 goal difference
- Mali 2 points, 0 goal difference (with 2 goals for)
- The Copper Bullets 2pts, GD0 (goals scored 1)
- The Coelacanths 1 point, -2 goal difference
In short, Morocco are probably fine but will want to beat Zambia to top their pool. Zambia probably need at least a point against Morocco. The island nation probably need to beat Mali, who will probably be okay with a point.
A host of potential results and permutations.
Angola v Egypt Update
The conclusion to 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 |
