The Sky Blues v The Tractor Boys, The Foxes versus The Rams, and Additional EFL League Previews

Greetings to a packed night of Football League and continental football fixtures. The spotlight falls on key second-tier matches and the pivotal final group games in this Afcon competition.

Opening Notes

Hello everyone. You are welcome to the reportedly this second-to-last soccer live blog of the year. There’s an extensive EFL programme, kicking off with Coventry v Ipswich at 6pm, while we will also monitor at least a third of an eye on the two evening fixtures from Group A at this Africa Cup of Nations: Zambia against the hosts Morocco as well as Mali facing Comoros.

Our primary attention will be on the following matches, all 19:45 kick-offs unless stated.

Africa Cup of Nations Fixtures

• The Coelacanths v Mali (19:00)
• The Copper Bullets versus The Atlas Lions (19:00)

Championship

• Coventry v The Tractor Boys (18:00)
• Leicester v The Rams
• Middlesbrough versus The Tigers
• Millwall v The Robins
• The Red Dragons versus North End

Third Tier Fixture

• The Bluebirds v Stevenage

Recent Lineup Updates

Coventry v Ipswich Confirmed Lineups

The early game, between the teams who are top and third in the second tier, promises to be a thriller. These are the confirmed lineups.

Coventry City (a 4-2-3-1 formation) The goalkeeper; van Ewijk, Woolfenden, Kitching, the left-back; Torp, the captain; the winger, Rudoni, Mason-Clark; Wright.

Subs: Wilson, the midfielder, Simms, the defender, the full-back, the defender, Eccles, Perry, the player.

Ipswich Town (a 4-2-3-1 setup) The shot-stopper; the defender, O’Shea, the defender, Greaves; the midfielder, Taylor; the attacker, Nunez, the winger; the centre-forward.

Subs: The goalkeeper, Young, Johnson, the defender, Cajuste, the winger, McAteer, the attacker, the striker.

The official Anthony Backhouse (Cumbria).

Afcon 2025: First Group Scenarios

The situation is complex. That's often the case where only some third-place sides qualify. Here’s how things look before tonight’s final round of games.

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

In short, Morocco is likely safe but will want to defeat Zambia to win the group. Zambia probably need at least a point against Morocco. Comoros probably must to beat Mali, who will probably be okay if they get a point.

A host of potential results and permutations.

Angola v Egypt Update

The denouement of Group B at the continental championship has coverage elsewhere. For those wishing to remain unaware, avoid following that coverage.

Second Tier Standings Overview