Reading vs Preston North End
England Championship, KO: 20:00 Nov 4, 2022, Select Car Leasing Stadium
Reading are aiming to snap a recent poor run when they host Preston North End in a Friday night Championship fixture.
Things have been difficult for Reading in the last few weeks as they have claimed just one win from their last seven matches. That poor run has seen them slide down the table and are now in the bottom half.
Reading head into Friday’s clash off the back of a 0-0 draw at Luton Town in their previous Championship fixture. While they missed several chances to claim the win, manager Paul Ince will be pleased with his team’s defensive showing.
Having been on the road in their last two matches, Reading will view Friday’s clash as a perfect chance to get things back on track as they return home. They have lost just once in their last three matches in front of their fans with a 3-1 victory over Huddersfield Town and a 2-0 win against Bristol City among their results in that run.
While Reading are struggling to find their rhythm, Preston North End have been on the rise in recent weeks. They have won three of their last four matches and are now up to seventh on the standings, level on points with Swansea City in the final playoff spot.
Preston North End are coming off a 1-0 home win over Swansea City in their previous Championship fixture. Bradley Potts’ effort midway through the first half proved to be the difference in a tight and closely fought encounter.
Although Preston North End have been generally impressive lately, their record on their travels has been a bit patchy. They have lost two of their last three away matches and were beaten 4-2 by Blackpool in their previous outing on the road.
How the bookies view it
Reading have a slight edge among the bookies and are priced at 6/4 by Unibet to win. A victory for Preston North End is valued at 2/1 by William Hill while a draw is set at odds of 9/4 by Betfred.
Recent head to head
Reading are unbeaten in five of the last six meetings with Preston North End, claiming four wins in that run. The Royals did the double over Preston last season, winning 2-1 at home before earning a 3-2 victory in the reverse fixture.
Players to watch
Although Reading have not been particularly prolific lately, Lucas Joao could be worth keeping an eye on. The forward’s pace and movement is often a problem for defenders and could be backed at 21/10 by bet365 to find the net on Friday.
Emil Riis often leads the line for Preston North End and could be the one to watch on Friday. The striker has five Championship goals this season and is priced at 3/1 by bet365 to get on the score sheet.
Anything else catch the eye?
Preston North End have featured in a few high scoring encounters lately and with their last meeting with Reading producing over 3.5 goals, a repeat could be considered at 3/1 with bet365. Over 2.5 goals could also be on the cards at 5/4 with Unibet, who are also offering odds of 19/20 on both teams to score.
Reading have opened the scoring in the last two meetings with Preston North End and could be tipped to grab the first goal once again at 20/21 with BoyleSports.
This England Championship match between Reading and Preston North End will be played on Nov 4, 2022 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Reading vs Preston North End prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
