The Sky Blues against The Tractor Boys, The Foxes v Derby, and Additional Football Action Previews
Greetings for the full evening of Football League as well as international football action. We'll be covering important Championship matches plus the pivotal final pool games in this Afcon tournament.
Opening Notes
Greetings to all. You are welcome to what is arguably this second-to-last football live blog of 2025. There’s a full Football League programme, starting with Ipswich's trip to Coventry at 18:00, and we’ll also be keeping at least a third of an eye on the two night games from Group A at the Africa Cup of Nations: Zambia against the hosts Morocco as well as Comoros v Mali.
Our primary attention will be on these matches, with 19:45 kick-offs unless stated.
Africa Cup of Nations Fixtures
- Comoros v Mali (7pm)
- Zambia v Morocco (7pm)
Second Division Matches
- Coventry v The Tractor Boys (6pm)
- The Foxes versus The Rams
- Middlesbrough v The Tigers
- Millwall v Bristol City
- The Red Dragons versus North End
Third Tier Fixture
- The Bluebirds v Boro
Recent Team News
Coventry v Ipswich Team News
The evening's opener, between the teams who are top and third in the second tier, looks like an exciting match. Here are the starting elevens.
Coventry (4-2-3-1) Rushworth; van Ewijk, the centre-back, the defender, the left-back; Torp, the captain; Sakamoto, the attacking midfielder, Mason-Clark; the striker.
Substitutes: Wilson, the midfielder, the forward, Kesler-Hayden, the full-back, Latibeaudiere, the midfielder, the youngster, the player.
Ipswich (a 4-2-3-1 setup) The shot-stopper; Furlong, O’Shea, Kipre, Greaves; the midfielder, the midfielder; the attacker, Nunez, the winger; Azon.
Subs: The goalkeeper, Young, the midfielder, the defender, Cajuste, Burns, McAteer, Philogene-Bidace, Akpom.
The official Anthony Backhouse (Cumbria).
Africa Cup of Nations: First Group Scenarios
Look, it’s complicated. That's often the case where only some third-place sides qualify. Here’s how things look ahead of this evening's final round of matches.
- The Atlas Lions 4pts, GD+2
- The Eagles 2 points, GD0 (goals scored 2)
- Zambia 2 points, 0 goal difference (goals scored 1)
- Comoros 1 point, GD-2
In short, Morocco are probably fine but will want to defeat their opponents to win the group. Zambia likely requires at least a point against Morocco. Comoros probably need to overcome Mali, who will probably be okay if they get a point.
A host of potential results and permutations.
Egypt's Match with Angola Latest
The conclusion to the second group at the Africa Cup of Nations is being covered. To avoid spoilers, don’t click the link.
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 |
