Coventry v The Tractor Boys, The Foxes versus Derby, along with More Football League Updates

Greetings for the busy evening of EFL as well as international football fixtures. The spotlight falls on key second-tier encounters and the pivotal final group matches in the Africa Cup of Nations tournament.

Preamble

Oh, hi folks. You are welcome to the reportedly the second-to-last football clockwatch of the year. There’s a full EFL programme, kicking off with Ipswich's trip to Coventry at 6pm, and we will also monitor a close watch on both night games from the first group at the Afcon: Zambia against the hosts Morocco and Comoros v Mali.

Our primary attention will be on these fixtures, with 19:45 start times unless stated.

Africa Cup of Nations Fixtures

• Comoros versus The Eagles (19:00)
• Zambia versus The Atlas Lions (7pm)

Championship

• The Sky Blues versus Ipswich (6pm)
• The Foxes versus The Rams
• Boro v Hull
• Millwall v Bristol City
• Wrexham v North End

League One

• Cardiff versus Stevenage

Latest Team News

Coventry v Ipswich Confirmed Lineups

The early game, featuring the sides sitting first and third in the Championship, promises to be a thriller. These are the two XIs.

Coventry (a 4-2-3-1 formation) The goalkeeper; van Ewijk, Woolfenden, the defender, Brau; Torp, Grimes; Sakamoto, Rudoni, Mason-Clark; the striker.

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

Ipswich (4-2-3-1) The shot-stopper; the defender, the centre-half, Kipre, Greaves; the midfielder, Taylor; the attacker, Nunez, Jack Clarke; the centre-forward.

Substitutes: The goalkeeper, Young, Johnson, the defender, the midfielder, Burns, the forward, the attacker, Akpom.

The official Anthony Backhouse (Cumbria).

Afcon 2025: First Group Scenarios

Look, it’s complicated. That's often the case where only some third-place teams qualify. Here’s how things look before this evening's last round of matches.

• The Atlas Lions 4pts, GD+2
• The Eagles 2pts, GD0 (with 2 goals for)
• Zambia 2 points, GD0 (goals scored 1)
• Comoros 1 point, GD-2

In short, Morocco is likely safe but will want to beat their opponents and win their pool. Zambia likely requires a draw or better against Morocco. The island nation probably need to overcome Mali, who will probably be okay if they get a draw.

Many possibilities, various outcomes, plenty of scenarios.

Angola v Egypt Update

The denouement to Group B at the continental championship is being covered. If you don’t want to know the score, it's best not to seek out that information.

Second Tier Standings Snapshot