The Sky Blues v Ipswich, The Foxes versus Derby, and Additional EFL Action Previews

Hello to the busy evening of EFL as well as international football action. The spotlight falls on important second-tier matches and the pivotal final group games in the Afcon tournament.

Opening Notes

Greetings to all. You are welcome to the arguably this second-to-last soccer live blog of 2025. We have an extensive Football League schedule, kicking off with Coventry v Ipswich at 6pm, while we will also monitor at least a third of an eye on the two night fixtures from the first group at this Africa Cup of Nations: Morocco hosting Zambia and Mali facing Comoros.

Our primary attention will be on the following fixtures, with 19:45 start times except where noted.

Afcon 2025

• Comoros v The Eagles (19:00)
• The Copper Bullets versus Morocco (19:00)

Second Division Matches

• The Sky Blues versus The Tractor Boys (6pm)
• Leicester versus Derby
• Boro versus Hull
• Millwall versus The Robins
• The Red Dragons v North End

Third Tier Fixture

• The Bluebirds versus Stevenage

Latest Lineup Updates

Ipswich at Coventry Team News

The evening's opener, between the teams who are top and third in the second tier, promises to be a thriller. Here are the confirmed lineups.

Coventry City (a 4-2-3-1 formation) Rushworth; van Ewijk, Woolfenden, Kitching, Brau; Torp, the captain; Sakamoto, the attacking midfielder, Mason-Clark; the striker.

Substitutes: Wilson, Allen, the forward, Kesler-Hayden, the full-back, Latibeaudiere, Eccles, Perry, the player.

Ipswich Town (4-2-3-1) The shot-stopper; Furlong, the centre-half, the defender, the left-back; Matusiwa, Taylor; the attacker, the playmaker, the winger; the centre-forward.

Substitutes: Palmer, the defender, the midfielder, Humphreys, the midfielder, Burns, the forward, the attacker, Akpom.

Referee Backhouse (Cumbria).

Afcon 2025: Group A Permutations

The situation is complex. That's often the case when some but not all third-placed teams qualify. Here’s how things look ahead of tonight’s last round of games.

• Morocco 4 points, +2 goal difference
• The Eagles 2pts, GD0 (with 2 goals for)
• The Copper Bullets 2 points, 0 goal difference (with 1 goal for)
• The Coelacanths 1 point, GD-2

In short, Morocco are probably fine though they will aim to beat Zambia to top the group. Zambia likely requires a draw or better versus the hosts. The island nation probably need to beat Mali, who will probably be okay if they get a point.

Lotta ins, lotta outs, lotta what-have-yous.

Angola v Egypt Update

The conclusion to Group B at the Africa Cup of Nations is being covered. For those wishing to remain unaware, avoid following that coverage.

Championship Table Overview