EFL Championship LIVE: Shock Results, Updated Table & Promotion Odds After Boxing Day Drama

The EFL Championship hurtles into its final matchday of 2025 with storylines everywhere, none bigger than Coventry City’s top-of-the-table showdown against Ipswich Town. Frank Lampard’s Sky Blues hold an eight-point cushion over second-placed Middlesbrough and a 13-point advantage on the Tractor Boys, but December’s patchy form means Monday night’s clash at the Coventry Building Society Arena could redefine the promotion narrative. Coventry vs Ipswich: promotion six-pointer • Kick-off: 18:00 GMT, Monday 29 December • Coventry eye a statement win after labouring past Swansea on Boxing Day. • Ipswich hammered Lampard’s men 3-0 early in the month and arrive unbeaten in three. Victory would send Coventry into 2026 with double-digit daylight; defeat could invite a chasing pack currently spearheaded by Middlesbrough, Leicester City and a resurgent Derby County. Pressure cooker at Leicester Marti Cifuentes needs a response when Leicester host in-form Derby. Successive defeats to QPR and Watford have triggered boos at the King Power and left the 2021 FA Cup winners drifting in eighth. Anything short of three points risks plunging the Spaniard into the season’s hottest managerial seat. Form strikers to watch • Ephron Mason-Clark (Coventry) – goals in three straight games. • Patrick Agyemang (Derby) – three in three and primed for the East Midlands derby fire. • Leo Castledine (Huddersfield) – midfield scorer with three in two. Clinical finishing could decide tight contests as winter pitches slow the tempo. Relegation rumblings West Brom, Stoke and Plymouth are all within four points of the drop. With fixtures mirroring early-December pairings, revenge missions could dictate who sinks into 2026 mired in trouble. Key fixtures, Matchday 24 • Coventry City v Ipswich Town • Leicester City v Derby County • Middlesbrough v Millwall • West Brom v Hull City • Sheffield Wednesday v Cardiff City Why this round matters 1. Momentum into the January transfer window can transform seasons. 2. Leaders can stretch gaps while rivals cannibalise each other. 3. Under-fire managers face boardroom decisions during the New Year break. As fireworks prepare to light up England’s skies, the EFL Championship promises its own pyrotechnics. One statement victory, one managerial miracle or one last-gasp goal on 29 December could shape the race for Premier League riches for months to come.