Greetings for the packed night of Football League and international soccer action. Our focus includes key second-tier encounters and the pivotal last pool games in the Afcon tournament.
Preamble
Hello everyone. You are welcome to the arguably this second-to-last football live blog of the year. There’s a full Football League slate, kicking off with Ipswich's trip to Coventry at 6pm, while we’ll also be keeping at least a third of an eye on the two evening games from Group A at the Africa Cup of Nations: Morocco hosting Zambia and Comoros v Mali.
Our primary attention will be on the following fixtures, with 19:45 start times unless stated.
Africa Cup of Nations Fixtures
- The Coelacanths v The Eagles (19:00)
- The Copper Bullets v The Atlas Lions (19:00)
Second Division Matches
- Coventry versus The Tractor Boys (6pm)
- Leicester versus The Rams
- Middlesbrough v The Tigers
- Millwall v The Robins
- The Red Dragons versus Preston
Third Tier Fixture
- Cardiff v Stevenage
Latest Lineup Updates
Coventry v Ipswich Team News
The early game, between the teams who are top and third in the Championship, looks like a cracker. These are the two XIs.
Coventry City (4-2-3-1) The goalkeeper; the right-back, the centre-back, Kitching, the left-back; Torp, Grimes; the winger, the attacking midfielder, the forward; the striker.
Subs: Wilson, Allen, Simms, Kesler-Hayden, Bidwell, the defender, the midfielder, the youngster, the player.
Ipswich Town (a 4-2-3-1 setup) Walton; the defender, the centre-half, Kipre, the left-back; the midfielder, the midfielder; Walle, the playmaker, Jack Clarke; the centre-forward.
Substitutes: Palmer, Young, the midfielder, the defender, Cajuste, Burns, McAteer, Philogene-Bidace, the striker.
Referee Anthony Backhouse (from Cumbria).
Africa Cup of Nations: First Group Permutations
It's a tricky picture. That's often the case when some but not all third-place teams qualify. Here’s how things look before tonight’s final set of games.
- The Atlas Lions 4 points, +2 goal difference
- The Eagles 2 points, 0 goal difference (goals scored 2)
- The Copper Bullets 2 points, 0 goal difference (with 1 goal for)
- Comoros 1pt, -2 goal difference
Briefly, Morocco are probably fine but will want to defeat their opponents and top their pool. Zambia likely requires at least a point versus Morocco. The island nation probably must 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 denouement to Group B at this continental championship is being covered. To avoid spoilers, it's best not to seek out that information.
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 |
