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Greetings for the full evening of Football League as well as international football action. We'll be covering major Championship matches and those crucial final pool matches in the Afcon competition.

Preamble

Oh, hi folks. Welcome to what is arguably this penultimate football clockwatch of the year. There’s an extensive EFL programme, starting with Coventry v Ipswich at 18:00, while we’ll also be keeping a close watch on both night fixtures from the first group at this Afcon: Morocco hosting Zambia as well as Mali facing Comoros.

We'll be focussing on these fixtures, all 7.45pm start times except where noted.

Africa Cup of Nations Fixtures

• The Coelacanths versus Mali (7pm)
• Zambia versus The Atlas Lions (19:00)

Second Division Matches

• The Sky Blues v The Tractor Boys (18:00)
• Leicester versus The Rams
• Middlesbrough v Hull
• Millwall v Bristol City
• The Red Dragons v North End

League One

• The Bluebirds v Boro

Recent Lineup Updates

Ipswich at Coventry Confirmed Lineups

The early game, between the teams who are first and third in the second tier, could be a cracker. Here are the confirmed lineups.

Coventry (a 4-2-3-1 formation) Rushworth; van Ewijk, Woolfenden, Kitching, Brau; Torp, the captain; Sakamoto, the attacking midfielder, Mason-Clark; the striker.

Subs: The backup keeper, the midfielder, the forward, the defender, Bidwell, the defender, Eccles, the youngster, the player.

Ipswich (4-2-3-1) Walton; Furlong, O’Shea, Kipre, the left-back; Matusiwa, Taylor; the attacker, the playmaker, the winger; the centre-forward.

Subs: The goalkeeper, the defender, the midfielder, the defender, the midfielder, the winger, the forward, the attacker, the striker.

The official Backhouse (Cumbria).

Afcon 2025: First Group Scenarios

The situation is complex. It always is where only some third-place teams qualify. This is the current state before this evening's final set of games.

• Morocco 4 points, +2 goal difference
• The Eagles 2 points, GD0 (with 2 goals for)
• The Copper Bullets 2 points, GD0 (with 1 goal for)
• Comoros 1 point, -2 goal difference

To summarize, Morocco is likely safe but will want to beat Zambia and win their pool. Zambia probably need a draw or better against the hosts. The island nation likely need to overcome their rivals, who will probably be okay if they get a draw.

Many possibilities, various outcomes, plenty of scenarios.

Angola v Egypt Update

The final act of Group B at the Africa Cup of Nations is being covered. To avoid spoilers, it's best not to seek out that information.

Second Tier 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