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Greetings to a full night of Football League and continental football action. The spotlight falls on key second-tier encounters plus the pivotal final pool matches in this Africa Cup of Nations tournament.

Opening Notes

Oh, hi folks. Welcome to what is reportedly this second-to-last soccer clockwatch of the year. There’s a full EFL programme, starting with Coventry v Ipswich at 6pm, and we will also monitor a close watch on the two evening fixtures from the first group at this Afcon: Zambia against the hosts Morocco as well as Comoros v Mali.

We'll be focussing on the following matches, with 19:45 kick-offs except where noted.

Africa Cup of Nations Fixtures

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

Second Division Matches

• The Sky Blues versus Ipswich (6pm)
• Leicester versus The Rams
• Middlesbrough v Hull
• Millwall versus Bristol City
• The Red Dragons versus North End

League One

• Cardiff versus Stevenage

Recent Lineup Updates

Ipswich at Coventry Confirmed Lineups

The early game, between the teams who are first and third in the Championship, could be a thriller. These are the two XIs.

Coventry City (4-2-3-1) The goalkeeper; van Ewijk, the centre-back, the defender, the left-back; Torp, the captain; the winger, Rudoni, Mason-Clark; Wright.

Substitutes: The backup keeper, Allen, the forward, the defender, the full-back, Latibeaudiere, the midfielder, the youngster, Andrews.

Ipswich Town (a 4-2-3-1 setup) The shot-stopper; the defender, the centre-half, the defender, the left-back; Matusiwa, Taylor; the attacker, the playmaker, Jack Clarke; the centre-forward.

Substitutes: Palmer, the defender, the midfielder, Humphreys, Cajuste, Burns, the forward, the attacker, Akpom.

Referee Backhouse (Cumbria).

Afcon 2025: Group A Permutations

It's a tricky picture. That's often the case when some but not all third-placed sides qualify. This is the current state ahead of tonight’s last round of games.

• The Atlas Lions 4 points, GD+2
• The Eagles 2 points, GD0 (with 2 goals for)
• The Copper Bullets 2pts, GD0 (with 1 goal for)
• Comoros 1pt, -2 goal difference

Briefly, Morocco is likely safe though they will aim to defeat Zambia and win their pool. Zambia probably need a draw or better against the hosts. The island nation likely need to beat Mali, who will probably be okay with a point.

Lotta ins, lotta outs, lotta what-have-yous.

Egypt's Match with Angola Latest

The final act to the second group at the continental championship is being covered. To avoid spoilers, 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