Coventry against Ipswich, The Foxes versus Derby, along with More EFL League Updates
Hello for the busy evening of Football League and international soccer action. The spotlight falls on important second-tier encounters and the crucial last group games in the Afcon competition.
Introduction
Hello everyone. Welcome to what is checks writing desk rota the second-to-last football clockwatch of the year. There’s a full EFL programme, kicking off with Ipswich's trip to Coventry at 18:00, and we will also monitor a close watch on the two evening fixtures from Group A at this Africa Cup of Nations: Zambia against the hosts Morocco and Mali facing Comoros.
We'll be focussing on the following games, with 7.45pm start times except where noted.
Africa Cup of Nations Fixtures
- The Coelacanths versus The Eagles (19:00)
- The Copper Bullets versus The Atlas Lions (19:00)
Championship
- The Sky Blues versus The Tractor Boys (6pm)
- Leicester versus The Rams
- Boro v Hull
- Millwall versus The Robins
- The Red Dragons versus Preston
League One
- Cardiff v Stevenage
Latest Team News
Ipswich at Coventry Team News
The early game, featuring the sides sitting top and third in the second tier, looks like an exciting match. Here are the two XIs.
Coventry (4-2-3-1) Rushworth; van Ewijk, the centre-back, Kitching, the left-back; Torp, the captain; the winger, Rudoni, Mason-Clark; the striker.
Subs: Wilson, Allen, the forward, Kesler-Hayden, Bidwell, Latibeaudiere, Eccles, Perry, Andrews.
Ipswich (4-2-3-1) The shot-stopper; the defender, O’Shea, the defender, the left-back; the midfielder, the midfielder; the attacker, the playmaker, the winger; the centre-forward.
Substitutes: Palmer, Young, Johnson, Humphreys, the midfielder, Burns, McAteer, Philogene-Bidace, the striker.
Referee Anthony Backhouse (from Cumbria).
Africa Cup of Nations: Group A Permutations
Look, it’s complicated. That's often the case where only some third-place sides qualify. This is the current state before this evening's final set of matches.
- The Atlas Lions 4pts, GD+2
- Mali 2 points, GD0 (goals scored 2)
- Zambia 2 points, 0 goal difference (with 1 goal for)
- Comoros 1pt, GD-2
Briefly, Morocco are probably fine but will want to beat their opponents to win their pool. Zambia probably need at least a point versus Morocco. The island nation probably need to beat Mali, who should advance if they get a point.
A host of potential results and permutations.
Egypt's Match with Angola Update
The final act of Group B 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 |
