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Greetings for a full evening of Football League and continental soccer fixtures. The spotlight falls on major Championship clashes and those crucial final group games in this Africa Cup of Nations competition.

Preamble

Oh, hi folks. You are welcome to what is reportedly this penultimate soccer clockwatch of 2025. We have an extensive Football League programme, kicking off with Coventry v Ipswich at 6pm, and we’ll also be keeping a close watch on both evening games from the first group at this Afcon: Zambia against the hosts Morocco and Comoros v Mali.

We'll be focussing on the following games, all 7.45pm kick-offs except where noted.

Afcon 2025

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

Second Division Matches

• Coventry versus The Tractor Boys (18:00)
• Leicester v The Rams
• Boro v Hull
• Millwall v Bristol City
• The Red Dragons v Preston

Third Tier Fixture

• The Bluebirds versus Stevenage

Recent Lineup Updates

Ipswich at Coventry Confirmed Lineups

The early game, between the teams who are first and third in the second tier, looks like a cracker. Here are the two XIs.

Coventry (a 4-2-3-1 formation) Rushworth; the right-back, the centre-back, Kitching, the left-back; the midfielder, Grimes; Sakamoto, Rudoni, Mason-Clark; Wright.

Substitutes: The backup keeper, Allen, Simms, Kesler-Hayden, the full-back, the defender, the midfielder, the youngster, the player.

Ipswich (a 4-2-3-1 setup) Walton; the defender, the centre-half, Kipre, Greaves; the midfielder, Taylor; Walle, the playmaker, Jack Clarke; the centre-forward.

Subs: The goalkeeper, the defender, the midfielder, the defender, Cajuste, the winger, the forward, the attacker, the striker.

Referee Backhouse (from Cumbria).

Africa Cup of Nations: First Group Permutations

Look, it’s complicated. That's often the case when some but not all third-placed teams qualify. Here’s how things look ahead of this evening's final round of games.

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

To summarize, Morocco are probably fine but will want to beat Zambia to top their pool. Zambia likely requires at least a point versus the hosts. Comoros likely must to beat Mali, who should advance with a draw.

Many possibilities, various outcomes, plenty of scenarios.

Egypt's Match with Angola Update

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