Coventry against The Tractor Boys, Leicester v The Rams, and Additional Football Action Previews
Hello for the packed night of Football League as well as international football action. The spotlight falls on important Championship encounters and the pivotal last group matches in the Afcon competition.
Preamble
Hello everyone. You are welcome to the checks writing desk rota this second-to-last football clockwatch of 2025. There’s an extensive Football League programme, kicking off with Ipswich's trip to Coventry at 6pm, and we will also monitor a close watch on both evening fixtures from the first group at the Africa Cup of Nations: Zambia against the hosts Morocco as well as Comoros v Mali.
We'll be focussing on these games, all 19:45 start times unless stated.
Afcon 2025
- The Coelacanths versus The Eagles (7pm)
- The Copper Bullets v The Atlas Lions (7pm)
Championship
- Coventry versus The Tractor Boys (18:00)
- The Foxes versus The Rams
- Middlesbrough versus The Tigers
- The Lions versus Bristol City
- The Red Dragons versus Preston
League One
- Cardiff v Boro
Latest Lineup Updates
Coventry v Ipswich Confirmed Lineups
The evening's opener, featuring the sides sitting first and third in the Championship, could be an exciting match. These are the starting elevens.
Coventry (a 4-2-3-1 formation) The goalkeeper; van Ewijk, the centre-back, Kitching, the left-back; the midfielder, the captain; Sakamoto, the attacking midfielder, the forward; Wright.
Substitutes: Wilson, Allen, the forward, the defender, the full-back, the defender, Eccles, Perry, Andrews.
Ipswich Town (a 4-2-3-1 setup) Walton; Furlong, the centre-half, Kipre, the left-back; the midfielder, Taylor; Walle, Nunez, the winger; the centre-forward.
Substitutes: Palmer, Young, Johnson, the defender, the midfielder, the winger, McAteer, the attacker, the striker.
Referee Anthony Backhouse (from Cumbria).
Afcon 2025: First Group Scenarios
The situation is complex. That's often the case when some but not all third-place sides qualify. Here’s how things look before tonight’s final round of games.
- Morocco 4 points, GD+2
- Mali 2pts, 0 goal difference (goals scored 2)
- The Copper Bullets 2 points, GD0 (goals scored 1)
- Comoros 1 point, -2 goal difference
To summarize, Morocco is likely safe but will want to defeat Zambia and win the group. Zambia likely requires at least a point against Morocco. The island nation likely need to overcome their rivals, who will probably be okay with a point.
A host of potential results and permutations.
Angola v Egypt Latest
The denouement of the second group at this continental championship has coverage elsewhere. To avoid spoilers, avoid following that coverage.
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 |
