Bournemouth will be looking to strengthen their grip on top spot when they travel to the Madejski Stadium for a clash against Reading. The Cherries are unbeaten this season and will fancy their chances against Reading, who have looked off colour lately.
Reading suffered a 2-0 defeat to Blackburn Rovers in their previous Championship fixture. Despite dominating the possession, they struggled to create much in attack and were also let down by a string of defensive errors.
It was the second straight defeat for Reading, who were also beaten 3-2 by Blackpool in their previous home fixture. Those two defeats mean Veljko Paunovic's men have now slipped into bottom half of the table.
Reading are among the worst defences in the Championship and their campaign has been hampered by constant errors at the back as evidenced by the defeat to Blackburn. They head into Friday’s clash with five goals conceded in their last two matches.
Bournemouth have been a class above the rest of the teams in the Championship and continue to set the pace this season. They are unbeaten after nine matches and are five points clear at the top of the table.
The Cherries travel to Reading off the back of a 3-0 victory over Huddersfield Town last time out in the Championship. Dominic Solanke netted a brace while Lloyd Kelly was also on target as they claimed their fourth consecutive Championship victory.
Bournemouth are just as effective on the road as they are on home soil having won three of their last four away matches. Scott Parker’s men also have the best defence in the Championship and have kept clean sheets in their last six away matches.
How the bookies view it
Bournemouth have the edge among the bookies at 10/11 with Skybet while a victory for Reading is valued at 4/1 with William Hill. A draw is set at odds of 45/17 by SBK.
Head to head
Bournemouth have an 8-5 advantage with five draws from 18 previous matches with Reading. Both teams won their home fixture last season with the Cherries claiming a 4-2 victory at the Vitality Stadium while Reading triumphed 3-1 at the Madejski Stadium.
Players to watch
Josh Swift is the leading scorer for Reading this season with eight goals and will be the one to watch on Saturday. Although the midfielder has scored just once in his last seven matches, he could still be worth a punt to find the net at 10/3 with bet365.
Following his brace against Huddersfield Town, Dominic Solanke has now taken his tally for the season to 10 goals. The striker was on target in Bournemouth’s home clash against Reading last season and could be backed to score anytime at 6/4 with Paddy Power.
Anything else catch the eye?
Bournemouth have kept clean sheets in their last six away matches and that run could be tipped to continue at 7/4 with Skybet. The Cherries could also be backed to earn a win to nil at 11/5 with Unibet.
Given the quality in Bournemouth’s attack, combined with their solid defence, a -1 handicap could also be on the cards at 11/5 with William Hill.
This England Championship match between Reading and AFC Bournemouth will be played on Oct 30, 2021 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Reading vs AFC Bournemouth prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
