Fulham will look to strengthen their grip at the top of the English Championship table as they host Reading at Craven Cottage. Both teams are having contrasting campaigns so far and Fulham are expected to get the better of a troubled Reading side.
Fulham are coming off a 1-0 victory at Birmingham City in their previous Championship fixture. They were comfortable throughout with a brace from Aleksandar Mitrovic and efforts from Dennis Odoi and Harry Wilson giving them a four-goal lead before Birmingham struck a late consolation.
It was a good way to bounce back from their first defeat of the season having been beaten 1-0 by Blackpool last weekend. It was also their fifth win in six Championship matches and good enough to take them to the top of the table.
While Fulham have impressed going forward with Aleksandar Mitrovic netting six goals in seven matches, the key to their impressive start has been their defence. Marco Silva's men have conceded the fewest goals in the Championship this season and have also kept clean sheets in their last two matches.
Reading were also victorious in their midweek Championship fixture with a 3-1 win over struggling Peterborough United. Tom Dele-Bashiru netted a second half brace after John Swift had opened the scoring.
It was only the second win of the season for Reading, who have found things difficult this term. Veljko Paunovic's men have suffered four defeats already this season, three of which have come away from home.
Reading have also struggled at the back and have the joint worst defensive record this season with 17 goals conceded. Half of those goals have come on their travels having been breached nine times in just three away matches.
How the bookies view it
Fulham are overwhelming favourites among the bookies with a home win priced at 3/7 by SBK. A victory for Reading is valued at 42/5 by SBK while a draw is set at odds of 4/1 with betway.
Head to head
Fulham have a 10-8 advantage with five draws from 23 previous matches against Reading. The Cottagers are also unbeaten in four of the last five meetings.
Players to watch
Striker Aleksandar Mitrovic will be the one to watch for Fulham as he looks to add to his six goals this season. The striker is priced at 19/20 by Sport Nation to find the net on Saturday.
Fulham’s backline has also impressed this season with Tim Ream and Tosin Adarabioyo often partnering in central defence. They have kept clean sheets in their last two home matches and that run could be tipped to continue at 11/10 with Paddy Power.
Anything else catch the eye?
Fulham are expected to claim the victory and given their solid defensive record this season, a win to nil can be considered at 11/8 with bet365. The Cottagers can also be backed in the -1 handicap market at 6/5 with SpreadEX.
Fulham have won both halves in two of their last three matches and could be set for a similar result at 13/5 with SBK.
This England Championship match between Fulham and Reading will be played on Sep 18, 2021 and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best Fulham vs Reading prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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