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Today at the Africa Cup of NationsGelson Dala salutes the fans after giving Angola a 1-0 lead over Zimbabwe at Marrakesh Stadium. Photograph: Khaled Desouki\/AFP\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Championship: In today\u2019s early kick-off, Derby County lead Birmingham City courtesy of a Patrick Agemang header in the 27th minute, but are down to 10 men following the dimissal of Joe Ward. The Derby winger picked up a silly yellow card for trying to delay a free-kick and was sent off for his second bookable offence 10 minutes later. His crime? Cynically tripping Jonathan Roberts as he advanced on the visitors\u2019 penalty area. He can have no complaints about either caution.<\/p>\n They\u2019re approaching half-time at St Andrew\u2019s, while it\u2019s scoreless at the Den in today\u2019s slightly later kick-off between Millwall and Ipswich Town after 19 minutes.<\/p>\n Derby County\u2019s Joe Ward (centre) ponders his life choices after being shown a red card by referee Ben Toner for two bookable offences. Photograph: David Davies\/PAShare<\/a>Boxing Day Championship fixtures<\/p>\n Birmingham City 0-1 Derby County (L)<\/p>\n Millwall 0-0 Ipswich Town (L)<\/p>\n Coventry City v Swansea City<\/p>\n Leicester City v Watford<\/p>\n Middlesbrough v Blackburn<\/p>\n Norwich City v Charlton Athletic<\/p>\n Oxford United v Southampton<\/p>\n Portsmouth v QPR<\/p>\n Sheffield Wednesday v Hull City<\/p>\n Stoke City v Preston<\/p>\n West Brom v Bristol City<\/p>\n Wrexham v Sheffield United (5.30pm GMT)<\/p>\n View the Championship table<\/a><\/p>\n Share<\/a>Preamble<\/p>\n Good afternoon and season\u2019s greetings to you all. If you\u2019re currently nursing a mild Harvey\u2019s Bristol Cream headache, staring at a mountain of cold turkey and unable to get to the TV because nan and the kids are watching Minions: The Rise of Gru you\u2019ve come to the right place. And obviously, if you\u2019re watching Minions: The Rise of Gru but wish to simultaneously wish keep tabs on all of his afternoon\u2019s football action, then you\u2019ve also come to the right place.<\/p>\n It is a strange, lean day for the top flight; a quirk of the 2025 calendar and broadcasting demands means the Premier League has largely pulled up the drawbridge, leaving us with just a solitary nightcap at Old Trafford later on. But fear not, for the EFL remains the heart and soul of the festive schedule. We have a full slate of 3pm kick-offs, in the Championship<\/a>, including leaders Coventry City hosting Swansea and a high-stakes clash between Middlesbrough and Blackburn.<\/p>\n Beyond the second tier, we\u2019ll be scanning the EFL for any news of note \u2014 and for those craving something a bit more exotic than a drizzly afternoon in Gillingham, we\u2019re also keeping tabs on Afcon goings-on in Morocco. Angola and Zimbabwe\u2019s Group B game is already under way, while Egypt and South Africa are due to kick off in Agadir at 3pm (GMT) in Agadir. It\u2019s a tie that promises to be far more appetising than the bread sauce left over from yesterday\u2019s festive lunch. Settle in, grab a mince pie, and let\u2019s get to it.<\/p>\n