Welcome for the packed evening of Football League and international football action. Our focus includes major second-tier clashes and the crucial last group matches in the Africa Cup of Nations competition.
Greetings to all. You are welcome to what is arguably the penultimate soccer clockwatch of the year. There’s a full EFL slate, kicking off with Coventry v Ipswich at 18:00, while we’ll also be keeping a close watch on the two night fixtures from the first group at the Afcon: Zambia against the hosts Morocco as well as Comoros v Mali.
Our primary attention will be on these games, all 7.45pm start times except where noted.
The evening's opener, featuring the sides sitting first and third in the Championship, looks like an exciting match. Here are the confirmed lineups.
Coventry (4-2-3-1) Rushworth; the right-back, the centre-back, Kitching, Brau; the midfielder, Grimes; Sakamoto, the attacking midfielder, Mason-Clark; the striker.
Substitutes: Wilson, Allen, Simms, Kesler-Hayden, Bidwell, the defender, the midfielder, Perry, the player.
Ipswich (4-2-3-1) Walton; the defender, O’Shea, the defender, the left-back; the midfielder, the midfielder; Walle, Nunez, the winger; the centre-forward.
Subs: The goalkeeper, Young, Johnson, the defender, Cajuste, the winger, McAteer, the attacker, Akpom.
Referee Backhouse (Cumbria).
Look, it’s complicated. It always is where only some third-place sides progress. Here’s how things look ahead of this evening's final set of matches.
In short, Morocco is likely safe but will want to defeat their opponents to win their pool. Zambia likely requires a draw or better against the hosts. Comoros probably need to overcome their rivals, who should advance with a point.
A host of potential results and permutations.
The final act of Group B at the Africa Cup of Nations has coverage elsewhere. For those wishing to remain unaware, it's best not to seek out that information.
| 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 |
