Cardiff City host Reading in a Friday night Championship fixture as they look to snap out of a poor run. Although they are facing different battles, both teams have been equally poor in recent weeks and look set to cancel each other out.
Cardiff City have a straightforward battle on their hands as the task for the rest of the season is to beat the drop. Sitting just three points above the relegation zone, they are in desperate need of a run of positive results having claimed just one win from their last 13 matches.
The good news for Cardiff City is that the win came in their previous Championship fixture as they picked up a 2-0 victory at Birmingham. They were made to work hard with Perry Ng scoring the opening goal with six minutes left to play before Callum Robinson added the second in injury time.
While it was a vital win for Cardiff, they will need more results like that, particularly at home. Sabri Lamouchi’s men have lost their last two matches at the Cardiff City Stadium, although they had been held to draws in the previous four home fixtures.
Reading are in the bottom half of the table but are well clear of the relegation zone and approaching that awkward stage of the season where there is little to play for. At the moment, they are still in with a chance of making the playoffs, sitting just six points off the top six.
The problem for Reading is that they have been on a similar run of form to Cardiff City having claimed just one win from their last six matches. Like their hosts, that win came in their previous fixture as goals from Andy Carroll and Tyrese Fornah earned them a 2-1 home win over Rotherham United.
One of the things that have hampered Reading this season is a poor record on their travels. Paul Ince’s men are winless in their last five Championship matches, suffering four defeats in that run.
How the bookies view it
Cardiff City have the upper hand among the bookies with a home win priced at 6/5 with Unibet. A victory for Reading is valued at 11/4 by BoyleSports while bet365 is offering odds of 12/5 for a draw.
Head to head
Reading have a 14-12 advantage with 15 draws from 41 previous matches with Cardiff City. Both teams have claimed one win each from the last two meetings with the Royals earning a 2-1 victory in the reverse fixture back in August.
Players to watch
Callum Robinson is the leading scorer for Cardiff City with five goals and will be the one to watch on Friday. The forward was also on target last time out at Birmingham and is priced at 12/5 by bet365 to get on the score sheet.
Andy Carroll has shown some good form lately and could be worth keeping an eye on for Reading. The striker has three goals in his last six Championship appearances and is priced at 15/4 by bet365 to find the net on Friday.
Anything else catch the eye?
There have been goals for both teams in seven of the last 11 meetings and a similar outcome is priced at evens with bet365. The reverse meeting produced over 2.5 goals which is priced at 13/10 by bet365 while over 3.5 goals is valued at 7/2 by Unibet.
Both teams have had a few late showings in recent weeks and Friday’s clash could be tipped to produce more second half goals at 6/5 with Paddy Power.
This England Championship match between Cardiff City and Reading will be played on Feb 17, 2023 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Cardiff City vs Reading prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
