Competition: Championship
Market: Reading draw no bet
Odds: 6/5 @ 888sport
Looking to build off of that eye-catching victory last weekend, promotion chasers Reading will make the trip to a struggling Stoke on Saturday afternoon.
Starting with the hosts, while Stoke might have enjoyed an immediate boost after bringing in Michael O’Neill last year, the Potters do find themselves in the midst of an extended blip. Continuing to slip away from the play-off positions, the former Northern Ireland boss saw his side put in another sluggish display last weekend. Eventually having to settle for a point away at Huddersfield, Stoke are enduring a worrying nine-match winless run across all formats, a run that stems back to December 19th. Crashing out of the FA Cup thanks to a 4-0 drumming against Leicester last month, O’Neil will also have a real headache over his side’s glaring problems on home soil. Losing each of their last three straight matchups at the Bet365 Stadium and without a win in Staffordshire over the past seven weeks, Stoke should face another tough test this weekend.
As for the visitors, while Stoke might be in the midst of an extended rut, the mood in Reading’s camp should be at a real red-hot high. Cementing their spot as the Championship’s surprise package this season, the Royals certainly laid down another marker last weekend. Eventually cruising their way to a 3-1 win against early-season promotion contenders Bournemouth, Veljko Paunović’s men know that victory on Saturday would move them within striking distance of the top-two. Bouncing back from that 1-0 loss away at Luton last month and really impressing with a 3-0 victory against Coventry on January 19th, Reading have lost just a single Championship matchup since the middle of December. Smelling a real chance to lay down another marker, don’t be surprised to see an upset in Staffordshire.
Bet: Reading draw no bet against Stoke City 6/5 for Saturday’s Championship contest @ 888sport
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