Coventry versus Ipswich, The Foxes against Derby, along with Additional Football League Updates
Welcome for the packed night of Football League and international football action. The spotlight falls on important second-tier clashes plus the crucial final pool games in this Africa Cup of Nations competition.
Opening Notes
Hello everyone. Welcome to the arguably the second-to-last football live blog of 2025. We have a full Football League slate, starting with Ipswich's trip to Coventry at 18:00, and we will also monitor a close watch on the two night games from the first group at the Afcon: Morocco hosting Zambia as well as Comoros v Mali.
We'll be focussing on these matches, with 7.45pm start times except where noted.
Afcon 2025
- Comoros versus The Eagles (19:00)
- Zambia versus The Atlas Lions (19:00)
Championship
- The Sky Blues v The Tractor Boys (6pm)
- The Foxes versus Derby
- Boro v Hull
- The Lions versus The Robins
- The Red Dragons v North End
League One
- Cardiff versus 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 an exciting match. Here are the starting elevens.
Coventry (a 4-2-3-1 formation) Rushworth; van Ewijk, the centre-back, the defender, Brau; Torp, Grimes; the winger, Rudoni, the forward; Wright.
Subs: The backup keeper, the midfielder, Simms, Kesler-Hayden, the full-back, the defender, Eccles, Perry, the player.
Ipswich Town (4-2-3-1) The shot-stopper; the defender, the centre-half, the defender, the left-back; Matusiwa, the midfielder; the attacker, the playmaker, the winger; the centre-forward.
Substitutes: The goalkeeper, Young, Johnson, the defender, the midfielder, the winger, the forward, the attacker, the striker.
The official Anthony Backhouse (Cumbria).
Africa Cup of Nations: Group A Permutations
The situation is complex. It always is where only some third-placed teams progress. Here’s how things look before tonight’s last set of games.
- The Atlas Lions 4 points, GD+2
- Mali 2 points, GD0 (goals scored 2)
- The Copper Bullets 2pts, 0 goal difference (goals scored 1)
- Comoros 1 point, GD-2
To summarize, Morocco is likely safe but will want to defeat Zambia and top their pool. Zambia likely requires at least a point versus Morocco. Comoros likely must to beat their rivals, who will probably be okay if they get a point.
Lotta ins, lotta outs, lotta what-have-yous.
Angola v Egypt Update
The denouement of the second group at the continental championship has coverage elsewhere. If you don’t want to know the score, it's best not to seek out that information.
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 |
