Greetings to the busy night of EFL as well as continental soccer fixtures. The spotlight falls on major second-tier matches plus the pivotal last group games in this Afcon tournament.
Preamble
Hello everyone. Welcome to what is checks writing desk rota this second-to-last soccer clockwatch of 2025. There’s an extensive Football League schedule, kicking off with Coventry v Ipswich at 18:00, and we will also monitor at least a third of an eye on the two night fixtures from Group A at the Africa Cup of Nations: Morocco hosting Zambia and Comoros v Mali.
Our primary attention will be on these fixtures, with 19:45 start times except where noted.
Afcon 2025
- Comoros versus The Eagles (19:00)
- The Copper Bullets v The Atlas Lions (19:00)
Championship
- Coventry versus Ipswich (18:00)
- The Foxes v Derby
- Boro versus Hull
- Millwall versus Bristol City
- Wrexham v Preston
Third Tier Fixture
- The Bluebirds versus Boro
Recent Lineup Updates
Coventry v Ipswich Confirmed Lineups
The early game, featuring the sides sitting top and third in the second tier, looks like a thriller. Here are the two XIs.
Coventry City (4-2-3-1) The goalkeeper; van Ewijk, the centre-back, the defender, the left-back; Torp, Grimes; Sakamoto, the attacking midfielder, the forward; Wright.
Subs: The backup keeper, Allen, Simms, the defender, Bidwell, the defender, the midfielder, Perry, Andrews.
Ipswich (4-2-3-1) The shot-stopper; Furlong, O’Shea, the defender, the left-back; Matusiwa, the midfielder; the attacker, Nunez, the winger; Azon.
Substitutes: Palmer, the defender, the midfielder, Humphreys, the midfielder, Burns, McAteer, the attacker, Akpom.
Referee Anthony Backhouse (from Cumbria).
Afcon 2025: Group A Scenarios
Look, it’s complicated. That's often the case where only some third-place sides progress. Here’s how things look before this evening's last set of matches.
- The Atlas Lions 4pts, GD+2
- Mali 2pts, GD0 (goals scored 2)
- The Copper Bullets 2pts, 0 goal difference (with 1 goal for)
- The Coelacanths 1pt, GD-2
In short, Morocco is likely safe though they will aim to beat Zambia to top their pool. Zambia likely requires a draw or better versus Morocco. Comoros probably need to beat their rivals, who will probably be okay if they get a point.
A host of potential results and permutations.
Angola v Egypt Update
The denouement of the second group at the Africa Cup of Nations is being covered. To avoid spoilers, it's best not to seek out that information.
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 |
