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Greetings for the full evening of EFL as well as continental soccer action. We'll be covering key Championship clashes plus the crucial final group matches in this Africa Cup of Nations competition.

Opening Notes

Greetings to all. You are welcome to what is checks writing desk rota this penultimate football clockwatch of 2025. We have an extensive EFL slate, starting with Ipswich's trip to Coventry at 18:00, while we will also monitor a close watch on the two night games from the first group at the Afcon: Zambia against the hosts Morocco as well as Comoros v Mali.

We'll be focussing on these matches, with 19:45 kick-offs unless stated.

Africa Cup of Nations Fixtures

• The Coelacanths versus Mali (19:00)
• Zambia v Morocco (7pm)

Championship

• Coventry versus The Tractor Boys (18:00)
• Leicester v The Rams
• Middlesbrough versus Hull
• The Lions v Bristol City
• Wrexham versus Preston

League One

• Cardiff versus Boro

Latest Lineup Updates

Ipswich at Coventry Team News

The evening's opener, featuring the sides sitting top and third in the second tier, looks like a thriller. These are the two XIs.

Coventry (4-2-3-1) Rushworth; van Ewijk, the centre-back, Kitching, Brau; Torp, the captain; the winger, Rudoni, Mason-Clark; Wright.

Substitutes: Wilson, Allen, Simms, the defender, the full-back, the defender, the midfielder, the youngster, the player.

Ipswich Town (a 4-2-3-1 setup) The shot-stopper; the defender, the centre-half, the defender, Greaves; Matusiwa, the midfielder; Walle, Nunez, Jack Clarke; the centre-forward.

Subs: The goalkeeper, Young, the midfielder, Humphreys, Cajuste, the winger, McAteer, the attacker, Akpom.

Referee Backhouse (Cumbria).

Afcon 2025: First Group Scenarios

Look, it’s complicated. That's often the case when some but not all third-placed sides progress. This is the current state ahead of this evening's last set of games.

• Morocco 4pts, GD+2
• Mali 2 points, 0 goal difference (goals scored 2)
• Zambia 2 points, GD0 (with 1 goal for)
• Comoros 1pt, GD-2

In short, Morocco is likely safe but will want to defeat Zambia and top the group. Zambia probably need a draw or better against the hosts. The island nation probably need to beat their rivals, who should advance with a point.

A host of potential results and permutations.

Angola v Egypt Update

The conclusion to the second group at the Africa Cup of Nations has coverage elsewhere. If you don’t want to know the score, it's best not to seek out that information.

Second Tier Table Snapshot

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