Norwich City will be looking to get their campaign back on track when they host Reading in the English Championship on Friday night.
Norwich are going through a difficult patch at the moment with their campaign experiencing a downward spiral. They were top of the standings in October but have now slipped to fifth, 15 points behind leaders Burnley.
Although Norwich City are still in the mix for the playoffs, that slump has led to the sacking of manager Dean Smith. The decision came after the Canaries lost 2-1 at Luton Town on Boxing Day which was their third defeat in the last four matches.
Carrow Road has also lost its status as a fortress as Norwich City have claimed just one win in their last seven home matches. They have lost the last two matches in that run and were beaten 2-0 by Blackburn Rovers in their previous fixture in front of their fans.
While Norwich City are struggling to find their rhythm, Reading have shown plenty of improvement in recent weeks. They have won three of their last four matches and are now among a group of teams on 35 points vying for the promotion playoffs.
Reading were victorious in their Boxing day fixture as they edged past Swansea City 2-1. They raced to a two-goal lead through Andy Carroll and Tom Ince before the Swans pulled one back midway through the second half.
A slight problem for Reading is their record on their travels having claimed just one win from their last seven away matches.
How the bookies view it
Despite all their recent problems, Norwich City are still considered overwhelming favourites among the bookies at 4/5 with bet365. A victory for Reading is valued at 4/1 by BoyleSports while a draw is set at odds of 5/2 by BetVictor.
Head to head
Norwich City have a 13-9 advantage with seven draws from 29 previous matches with Reading. The Canaries are unbeaten in the last four meetings, although two of those matches have ended in draws, including a 1-1 scoreline in the reverse fixture back in October.
Players to watch
Teemu Pukki netted his seventh Championship goal of the season in the defeat at Luton Town on Boxing Day. The striker remains the biggest attacking threat for Norwich and is backed at 6/4 by bet365 to get on the score sheet on Friday.
Tom Ince has impressed for Reading in recent weeks, scoring in his last two matches. The forward could be worth keeping an eye on to score anytime on Friday at 17/2 with bet365.
Anything else catch the eye?
Both teams have scored in their last 12 meetings and could be set for a repeat at 5/6 with Coral. The last four meetings at Carrow Road have produced over 3.5 goals and a similar outcome is priced at 13/5 by BetVictor while over 2.5 goals could also be considered at evens with bet365.
Reading have opened the scoring in their last two visits to Carrow Road and could be tipped to score first on Friday at 15/8 with Paddy Power.
This England Championship match between Norwich City and Reading will be played on Dec 30, 2022 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Norwich City vs Reading prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
