Greetings to the packed evening of Football League as well as international soccer action. We'll be covering key second-tier clashes and the crucial last group matches in this Africa Cup of Nations tournament.
Introduction
Oh, hi folks. Welcome to what is reportedly this penultimate football live blog of 2025. We have a full Football League slate, kicking off with Ipswich's trip to Coventry at 6pm, and we will also monitor a close watch on the two night games from Group A at this Afcon: Morocco hosting Zambia and Mali facing Comoros.
We'll be focussing on these fixtures, with 7.45pm start times except where noted.
Afcon 2025
- The Coelacanths versus The Eagles (7pm)
- Zambia v The Atlas Lions (7pm)
Championship
- The Sky Blues v The Tractor Boys (6pm)
- Leicester versus Derby
- Middlesbrough versus Hull
- The Lions v Bristol City
- Wrexham v North End
League One
- The Bluebirds v Boro
Recent Lineup Updates
Ipswich at Coventry Team News
The evening's opener, between the teams who are top and third in the second tier, could be an exciting match. Here are the confirmed lineups.
Coventry City (4-2-3-1) The goalkeeper; van Ewijk, Woolfenden, the defender, the left-back; the midfielder, Grimes; Sakamoto, Rudoni, the forward; Wright.
Subs: The backup keeper, Allen, the forward, the defender, Bidwell, Latibeaudiere, the midfielder, the youngster, the player.
Ipswich Town (4-2-3-1) The shot-stopper; the defender, the centre-half, the defender, Greaves; the midfielder, Taylor; the attacker, the playmaker, Jack Clarke; the centre-forward.
Substitutes: The goalkeeper, the defender, Johnson, Humphreys, Cajuste, Burns, McAteer, the attacker, the striker.
The official Anthony Backhouse (Cumbria).
Afcon 2025: Group A Permutations
Look, it’s complicated. It always is where only some third-place teams progress. Here’s how things look before this evening's final set of matches.
- Morocco 4 points, GD+2
- Mali 2 points, 0 goal difference (with 2 goals for)
- The Copper Bullets 2 points, GD0 (goals scored 1)
- Comoros 1 point, -2 goal difference
To summarize, Morocco are probably fine though they will aim to beat Zambia and win their pool. Zambia probably need at least a point against Morocco. The island nation probably need to beat Mali, who should advance if they get a point.
Many possibilities, various outcomes, plenty of scenarios.
Egypt's Match with Angola Latest
The denouement to Group B at the Africa Cup of Nations is being covered. To avoid spoilers, avoid following that coverage.
Championship 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 |
