Reading welcome Preston North End to Select Car Leasing Stadium in Friday Night Football in 2022-23 Sky Bet Championship.
Victory would see Reading climb to seventh in the table, whilst Preston can go fifth with a win until Saturday afternoon.
Team News
Mamadou Loum is set to return for Reading after he missed their goalless draw at Luton on Tuesday due to suspension.
Tom McIntyre (head) and Sam Hutchinson (calf) won’t be risked if either player isn’t fully match-fit for selection.
Naby Sarr (calf), Femi Azeez, Scott Dann, Dejan Tetek (all hamstring) and Liam Moore (knee) remain absent.
Preston will be without Ben Whiteman after the midfielder suffered a thigh injury in Tuesday’s win at home to Swansea.
Troy Parrott (hamstring) and Patrick Bauer (appendix) both remain absent.
Stat Attack
- Reading have lost just one of their last nine meetings against Preston (W7, D1, L1).
- Preston have won just one of their last five visits to Reading (W1, L5).
- Three of Reading’s last five home wins over Preston were achieved by 1-0 results.
- Reading have kept just one clean sheet in their last six home matches (W3, D1, L2), during which they scored and conceded eight goals apiece.
- Preston are looking to win three consecutive league matches for the first time since a four-match run between April-May 2021.
Prediction
Having seen their promotion challenge drift in recent weeks, Reading could do with a win here to reignite their spark but they will need to show more clinical finishing than they delivered at Luton on Tuesday evening despite largely having dominated the game.
Preston meanwhile come into this match with three wins in their last four matches and were clinical against Swansea in midweek with excellent attacking intensity and some superb second-half soaking up of oppositional pressure.
On that note, a low-scoring affair feels likely based on my gut instinct but the first goal will be crucial because if Preston get ahead, I can see them shutting up shop where possible otherwise it could get quite scrappy if Reading take the lead.
Prediction: Reading 1-1 Preston
Result: Reading 1-2 Preston
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