The Sky Blues v Ipswich, Leicester v The Rams, and More EFL Action Previews

Greetings to the full night of EFL as well as international soccer fixtures. The spotlight falls on key Championship clashes and those crucial final pool matches in the Afcon competition.

Introduction

Hello everyone. Welcome to the arguably this second-to-last football live blog of the year. We have a full EFL programme, starting with Ipswich's trip to Coventry at 6pm, while we’ll also be keeping a close watch on the two evening fixtures from Group A at this Afcon: Morocco hosting Zambia and Mali facing Comoros.

We'll be focussing on these fixtures, with 19:45 start times except where noted.

Afcon 2025

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

Second Division Matches

• Coventry versus The Tractor Boys (18:00)
• Leicester v Derby
• Boro v Hull
• Millwall versus The Robins
• Wrexham versus Preston

Third Tier Fixture

• The Bluebirds versus Boro

Recent Team News

Coventry v Ipswich Confirmed Lineups

The early game, featuring the sides sitting first and third in the second tier, promises to be a cracker. These are the confirmed lineups.

Coventry City (a 4-2-3-1 formation) Rushworth; van Ewijk, Woolfenden, Kitching, the left-back; the midfielder, the captain; Sakamoto, Rudoni, the forward; Wright.

Substitutes: The backup keeper, the midfielder, the forward, the defender, the full-back, the defender, Eccles, the youngster, the player.

Ipswich Town (4-2-3-1) Walton; the defender, the centre-half, the defender, the left-back; the midfielder, the midfielder; the attacker, the playmaker, the winger; Azon.

Substitutes: Palmer, the defender, the midfielder, the defender, Cajuste, Burns, McAteer, the attacker, the striker.

The official Backhouse (from Cumbria).

Afcon 2025: First Group Permutations

The situation is complex. That's often the case where only some third-place teams qualify. This is the current state before this evening's final round of matches.

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

In short, Morocco is likely safe but will want to defeat Zambia to win their pool. Zambia likely requires at least a point versus Morocco. The island nation probably need to beat Mali, who will probably be okay with a draw.

A host of potential results and permutations.

Egypt's Match with Angola Update

The conclusion of the second group at the Africa Cup of Nations has coverage elsewhere. If you don’t want to know the score, don’t click the link.

Second Tier Standings Overview