The Sky Blues versus Ipswich, The Foxes versus Derby, and More EFL League Updates
Welcome for the busy night of EFL and continental football fixtures. The spotlight falls on important Championship clashes plus those pivotal final group matches in the Africa Cup of Nations tournament.
Introduction
Oh, hi folks. Welcome to the arguably this penultimate football live blog of the year. There’s an extensive EFL schedule, starting with Coventry v Ipswich at 18:00, while we’ll also be keeping at least a third of an eye on both night games from the first group at the Africa Cup of Nations: Morocco hosting Zambia as well as Mali facing Comoros.
We'll be focussing on these matches, with 19:45 kick-offs unless stated.
Africa Cup of Nations Fixtures
- Comoros v The Eagles (7pm)
- The Copper Bullets v The Atlas Lions (7pm)
Championship
- Coventry versus The Tractor Boys (18:00)
- Leicester v The Rams
- Middlesbrough v The Tigers
- The Lions versus The Robins
- The Red Dragons versus North End
League One
- The Bluebirds versus Boro
Recent Lineup Updates
Ipswich at Coventry Team News
The early game, featuring the sides sitting top and third in the second tier, looks like a cracker. These are the starting elevens.
Coventry (4-2-3-1) Rushworth; the right-back, Woolfenden, Kitching, Brau; the midfielder, the captain; Sakamoto, the attacking midfielder, Mason-Clark; Wright.
Subs: The backup keeper, Allen, Simms, the defender, the full-back, Latibeaudiere, the midfielder, the youngster, Andrews.
Ipswich Town (a 4-2-3-1 setup) Walton; Furlong, O’Shea, the defender, Greaves; Matusiwa, Taylor; the attacker, the playmaker, the winger; the centre-forward.
Subs: The goalkeeper, Young, the midfielder, the defender, the midfielder, the winger, McAteer, Philogene-Bidace, Akpom.
The official Anthony Backhouse (Cumbria).
Africa Cup of Nations: Group A Scenarios
It's a tricky picture. That's often the case where only some third-placed sides progress. Here’s how things look ahead of tonight’s last round of games.
- The Atlas Lions 4 points, GD+2
- Mali 2pts, GD0 (with 2 goals for)
- The Copper Bullets 2 points, 0 goal difference (goals scored 1)
- The Coelacanths 1pt, -2 goal difference
Briefly, Morocco are probably fine but will want to defeat their opponents to win the group. Zambia probably need a draw or better against Morocco. Comoros probably must to overcome 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 is being covered. If you don’t want to know the score, don’t click the link.
Championship Standings 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 |