Coventry v Ipswich, The Foxes against The Rams, along with More EFL League Updates
Hello for the full evening of EFL as well as international football action. Our focus includes key second-tier encounters and those crucial last group games in the Afcon tournament.
Opening Notes
Greetings to all. You are welcome to what is arguably this penultimate soccer live blog of the year. There’s an extensive EFL programme, starting with Coventry v Ipswich at 18:00, while we will also monitor at least a third of an eye on the two night games from the first group at the Afcon: Zambia against the hosts Morocco and Mali facing Comoros.
Our primary attention will be on these fixtures, all 19:45 kick-offs except where noted.
Africa Cup of Nations Fixtures
- Comoros v The Eagles (7pm)
- The Copper Bullets v Morocco (7pm)
Second Division Matches
- The Sky Blues versus The Tractor Boys (18:00)
- Leicester versus The Rams
- Boro versus The Tigers
- The Lions v The Robins
- The Red Dragons versus Preston
Third Tier Fixture
- Cardiff versus Boro
Recent Lineup Updates
Coventry v Ipswich Confirmed Lineups
The early game, between the teams who are top and third in the second tier, looks like a cracker. These are the two XIs.
Coventry (4-2-3-1) The goalkeeper; van Ewijk, the centre-back, Kitching, the left-back; Torp, Grimes; Sakamoto, the attacking midfielder, the forward; Wright.
Subs: Wilson, the midfielder, the forward, the defender, Bidwell, the defender, Eccles, Perry, Andrews.
Ipswich Town (4-2-3-1) The shot-stopper; Furlong, O’Shea, Kipre, Greaves; the midfielder, the midfielder; the attacker, Nunez, the winger; the centre-forward.
Substitutes: The goalkeeper, the defender, the midfielder, Humphreys, Cajuste, the winger, McAteer, Philogene-Bidace, the striker.
Referee Backhouse (Cumbria).
Africa Cup of Nations: Group A Scenarios
The situation is complex. It always is where only some third-place teams qualify. Here’s how things look ahead of this evening's last set of games.
- Morocco 4 points, GD+2
- Mali 2 points, 0 goal difference (goals scored 2)
- The Copper Bullets 2 points, 0 goal difference (with 1 goal for)
- Comoros 1pt, GD-2
In short, Morocco is likely safe though they will aim to defeat their opponents and win their pool. Zambia likely requires at least a point versus Morocco. Comoros likely need to beat their rivals, who will probably be okay with a point.
Lotta ins, lotta outs, lotta what-have-yous.
Angola v Egypt Update
The final act of Group B at the Africa Cup of Nations is being covered. For those wishing to remain unaware, don’t click the link.
Championship Standings 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 |
