Coventry v Ipswich, Leicester v Derby, and Additional Football League Updates
Greetings for the busy evening of Football League as well as continental football action. We'll be covering major Championship matches and those pivotal final group games in the Africa Cup of Nations competition.
Preamble
Greetings to all. Welcome to what is checks writing desk rota this second-to-last soccer clockwatch of 2025. We have an extensive Football League slate, starting with Coventry v Ipswich at 18:00, while we’ll also be keeping a close watch on the two night games from the first group at this Africa Cup of Nations: Morocco hosting Zambia and Comoros v Mali.
Our primary attention will be on these fixtures, all 19:45 kick-offs unless stated.
Afcon 2025
- Comoros v The Eagles (7pm)
- Zambia v Morocco (7pm)
Championship
- The Sky Blues v The Tractor Boys (18:00)
- The Foxes v The Rams
- Boro v The Tigers
- Millwall versus Bristol City
- Wrexham versus Preston
League One
- Cardiff versus Stevenage
Latest Team News
Coventry v Ipswich Team News
The evening's opener, featuring the sides sitting top and third in the second tier, looks like a cracker. These are the confirmed lineups.
Coventry City (4-2-3-1) Rushworth; van Ewijk, the centre-back, Kitching, the left-back; the midfielder, the captain; Sakamoto, the attacking midfielder, the forward; Wright.
Subs: The backup keeper, Allen, Simms, the defender, the full-back, Latibeaudiere, Eccles, the youngster, Andrews.
Ipswich (4-2-3-1) The shot-stopper; the defender, the centre-half, Kipre, the left-back; Matusiwa, Taylor; Walle, the playmaker, the winger; the centre-forward.
Subs: Palmer, the defender, Johnson, Humphreys, the midfielder, Burns, the forward, the attacker, the striker.
Referee Anthony Backhouse (Cumbria).
Africa Cup of Nations: First Group Scenarios
The situation is complex. That's often the case when some but not all third-place sides progress. Here’s how things look ahead of this evening's final set of games.
- Morocco 4 points, GD+2
- The Eagles 2pts, GD0 (with 2 goals for)
- The Copper Bullets 2pts, 0 goal difference (with 1 goal for)
- The Coelacanths 1pt, GD-2
Briefly, Morocco is likely safe though they will aim to beat their opponents and win their pool. Zambia probably need at least a point against Morocco. Comoros likely must to beat Mali, who will probably be okay if they get a draw.
Many possibilities, various outcomes, plenty of scenarios.
Egypt's Match with Angola Update
The conclusion of Group B at the Africa Cup of Nations is being covered. To avoid spoilers, avoid following that coverage.
Second Tier Table 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 |
