Hello for a packed evening of Football League as well as continental football fixtures. We'll be covering important Championship matches plus the pivotal last pool matches in the Africa Cup of Nations competition.
Hello everyone. You are welcome to what is checks writing desk rota the penultimate football live blog of 2025. There’s a full Football League programme, kicking off with Coventry v Ipswich at 18:00, while we will also monitor a close watch on both evening fixtures from the first group at this Afcon: Zambia against the hosts Morocco as well as Mali facing Comoros.
Our primary attention will be on the following fixtures, with 7.45pm kick-offs except where noted.
The evening's opener, between the teams who are first and third in the Championship, could be a cracker. Here are the two XIs.
Coventry City (4-2-3-1) The goalkeeper; van Ewijk, the centre-back, the defender, the left-back; Torp, Grimes; the winger, Rudoni, the forward; Wright.
Substitutes: Wilson, the midfielder, Simms, Kesler-Hayden, Bidwell, Latibeaudiere, the midfielder, Perry, Andrews.
Ipswich Town (a 4-2-3-1 setup) The shot-stopper; the defender, O’Shea, the defender, the left-back; Matusiwa, the midfielder; Walle, the playmaker, Jack Clarke; the centre-forward.
Subs: Palmer, Young, the midfielder, Humphreys, the midfielder, the winger, McAteer, Philogene-Bidace, the striker.
Referee Anthony Backhouse (from Cumbria).
Look, it’s complicated. That's often the case where only some third-placed sides progress. This is the current state ahead of tonight’s final round of matches.
To summarize, Morocco is likely safe but will want to beat Zambia to win their pool. Zambia likely requires a draw or better versus Morocco. Comoros probably must to overcome Mali, who will probably be okay with a point.
A host of potential results and permutations.
The conclusion of the second group at the continental championship is being covered. To avoid spoilers, don’t click the link.
| 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 |
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Michelle Beard
Michelle Beard
Michelle Beard
Michelle Beard
Michelle Beard