🔗 Share this article

Greetings to a full night of EFL and continental soccer action. Our focus includes key second-tier clashes and the crucial final group games in the Afcon tournament.

Introduction

Greetings to all. You are welcome to what is checks writing desk rota the penultimate football live blog 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 both evening games from Group A at this Africa Cup of Nations: Morocco hosting Zambia as well as Mali facing Comoros.

We'll be focussing on these fixtures, all 7.45pm kick-offs unless stated.

Afcon 2025

• The Coelacanths versus Mali (7pm)
• The Copper Bullets v The Atlas Lions (7pm)

Championship

• The Sky Blues v Ipswich (18:00)
• Leicester versus The Rams
• Boro v The Tigers
• Millwall v The Robins
• The Red Dragons v North End

League One

• The Bluebirds v Stevenage

Latest Team News

Coventry v Ipswich Team News

The evening's opener, between the teams who are top and third in the Championship, could be a thriller. Here are the confirmed lineups.

Coventry City (4-2-3-1) The goalkeeper; the right-back, Woolfenden, the defender, Brau; Torp, Grimes; Sakamoto, Rudoni, Mason-Clark; Wright.

Substitutes: Wilson, Allen, the forward, the defender, Bidwell, the defender, Eccles, Perry, the player.

Ipswich (a 4-2-3-1 setup) The shot-stopper; the defender, the centre-half, Kipre, Greaves; Matusiwa, the midfielder; Walle, Nunez, the winger; Azon.

Subs: The goalkeeper, the defender, Johnson, the defender, the midfielder, Burns, McAteer, Philogene-Bidace, Akpom.

Referee Backhouse (from Cumbria).

Africa Cup of Nations: First Group Permutations

It's a tricky picture. It always is when some but not all third-place sides progress. Here’s how things look ahead of tonight’s last set of games.

• Morocco 4 points, +2 goal difference
• The Eagles 2pts, 0 goal difference (goals scored 2)
• Zambia 2 points, GD0 (goals scored 1)
• Comoros 1 point, GD-2

In short, Morocco is likely safe but will want to defeat Zambia to top the group. 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 Latest

The final act to Group B at this continental championship is being covered. For those wishing to remain unaware, it's best not to seek out that information.

Second Tier Table Snapshot

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