2020-21 Sky Bet Championship: Week 27 – Friday

Reading welcome Bournemouth to the Madejski Stadium as fifth meets six in a blockbuster Friday Night Football clash from the Sky Bet Championship.

Victory will see Reading rise above Brentford into fourth whereas Bournemouth themselves could go fourth with a win given their superior goal difference over the Royals and the Bees.

 

Team News

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Yakou Meite could return for Reading if he proves his fitness after a knee injury kept the winger sidelined in recent weeks.

Andy Yiadom (fitness), Liam Moore (foot), Felipe Araruna (knee) and George Puscas (hernia) are still ruled out.

Bournemouth have no fresh injury concerns to report with a near-full squad available for selection, with Dan Gosling set to miss out due to illness.

 

Stat Attack

• Reading are winless in their last eight meetings against Bournemouth (D2, L6).
• Bournemouth are unbeaten in four of their last five trips to Reading (W2, D2, L1).
• Veljkovic Paunovic’s Royals have scored first in three of their last five home league games.
• Bournemouth have scored just once in their last four away league trips (W1, D2, L1).
• Defeats in their last two league matches marked the first time that the Cherries suffered consecutive losses under Jason Tindall.

 

Prediction

Reading can come into this game full of confidence despite being without Yakou Meite in recent weeks because they have taken 11 points from their last five matches, which is a decent return for a team that might actually look like a real deal compared to last season but Bournemouth will definitely pose a stern test after a goalless draw at Preston last weekend.

Bournemouth however have lost their last two league games by narrow margins and their away form has also slipped just to add more pain to their recent troubles, making this a must-win if want to avoid getting cut slightly adrift of the promotion fight.

One positive for the Cherries though is their recent form against Reading so if can use Tuesday’s FA Cup win over Crawley as a launch pad for revitalisation, I think that they could well have enough to get a win here if not a draw.

Prediction: Reading 0-1 Bournemouth

Result: Reading 3-1 Bournemouth