Coventry v The Tractor Boys, Leicester versus Derby, along with Additional Football Action Updates
Welcome for a full evening of Football League as well as continental football fixtures. Our focus includes important Championship encounters and the pivotal final group matches in this Afcon tournament.
Opening Notes
Greetings to all. You are welcome to the reportedly the second-to-last soccer live blog of 2025. We have a full Football League programme, starting with Ipswich's trip to Coventry at 6pm, and we’ll also be keeping at least a third of an eye on both evening games from Group A at the Afcon: Morocco hosting Zambia and Mali facing Comoros.
We'll be focussing on these matches, with 19:45 start times except where noted.
Africa Cup of Nations Fixtures
- Comoros versus The Eagles (7pm)
- Zambia versus The Atlas Lions (19:00)
Second Division Matches
- Coventry versus The Tractor Boys (18:00)
- Leicester v The Rams
- Boro v The Tigers
- Millwall v Bristol City
- Wrexham v Preston
Third Tier Fixture
- Cardiff versus Boro
Recent Lineup Updates
Ipswich at Coventry Confirmed Lineups
The early game, featuring the sides sitting top and third in the second tier, looks like a thriller. These are the confirmed lineups.
Coventry (4-2-3-1) The goalkeeper; the right-back, Woolfenden, Kitching, Brau; Torp, the captain; the winger, the attacking midfielder, the forward; the striker.
Substitutes: Wilson, Allen, the forward, the defender, Bidwell, the defender, Eccles, Perry, Andrews.
Ipswich Town (4-2-3-1) The shot-stopper; Furlong, the centre-half, the defender, Greaves; the midfielder, Taylor; the attacker, the playmaker, Jack Clarke; Azon.
Substitutes: The goalkeeper, the defender, Johnson, Humphreys, the midfielder, Burns, McAteer, the attacker, Akpom.
Referee Backhouse (Cumbria).
Afcon 2025: First Group Permutations
It's a tricky picture. It always is where only some third-place sides progress. Here’s how things look ahead of this evening's last round of games.
- Morocco 4pts, GD+2
- The Eagles 2pts, 0 goal difference (with 2 goals for)
- The Copper Bullets 2 points, GD0 (goals scored 1)
- Comoros 1 point, GD-2
Briefly, Morocco is likely safe though they will aim to beat Zambia to top the group. Zambia likely requires at least a point against Morocco. The island nation probably need to beat Mali, who should advance with a point.
A host of potential results and permutations.
Angola v Egypt Update
The denouement of Group B at this Africa Cup of Nations has coverage elsewhere. To avoid spoilers, avoid following that coverage.
Second Tier 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 |
