In round 40 of the EFL Championship, Reading hosts Birmingham City at the Madejski Stadium on April 7. In the bottom half of the standings, the two teams are only separated by two points, so a thrilling matchup could occur as they try to finish in the top half. Reading could only salvage a 1-1 draw against Bristol City at the Ashton Gate Stadium over the weekend because they were unable to find their feet.
Since their 3-1 victory over Blackpool in February, the Royals have lost six league games and earned just two points out of a possible 18. Reading is 18th in the league table, two points and two places below Birmingham, with 46 points from 39 games. Meanwhile, Birmingham beat Blackburn Rovers 1-0 at home last time out to keep themselves out of danger.
The team led by John Eustace has now won three of their last four games, with the exception of a 3-0 defeat to Watford on March 14. The recent defensive performances of Birmingham, where they have kept three clean sheets in four games, are to blame for the team’s improved form.
Match Details
- Reading – Birmingham
- Championship England
- Date – 07/04/2023
- Starting time – 14:00 UTC
- Venue: Select Car Leasing Stadium, Reading, England
Prediction
A cagey contest could ensue given that the two sides are separated in the standings by just two points. With a better record going into the weekend, Birmingham should win by a small margin.
Prediction: Birmingham City 1-2 Reading
Head-to-Head
Birmingham has a better record in this matchup, having won 18 of their last 46 meetings.
Reading has won 16 games during that time period, splitting 12 of those victories.
Birmingham are unbeaten in three of their last four visits to the Madejski Arena, winning two times since May 2019.
Eustace’s men are on a six-game winless run, losing multiple times, starting from the beginning of Spring.
Birmingham have gotten only one dominate in five away matches, losing three since early February.
Team news
As the midfielder serves the final game of his three-match suspension for receiving a red card in Reading’s loss to Blackburn prior to the international break, Mamadou N’Diaye will remain out of Reading on Friday.
Due to injuries to their Achilles and hamstrings, defenders Sam Hutchinson and Tom McIntyre are out for the Royals, leaving them with few options on defense.
Dion Sanderson is anticipated to return to training next week following a back issue that appeared to be destined to end the youngster’s campaign.
After suffering a hamstring injury, Troy Deeney is getting closer and closer to returning to the first team. When he is healthy, he will be good competition for Scott Hogan and Lukas Jutkiewicz.
George Hall stood out in Saturday’s victory over Blackburn, so he should get another start in this one, keeping out players like Juninho Bacuna and Hannibal Mejbri.
lineup
Reading:
- Lumley
- Mbengue, Holmes, Sarr
- Yiadom, Casadei, Hendrick, Fornah, Guinness-Walker
- Carroll, Joao
Birmingham City:
- Ruddy
- Colin, Roberts, Long, Trusty
- Bielik, Chang, Khadra, Hall, Chong
- Jutkiewicz
Betting Tips
Both teams to score – Yes (since a goalless draw in May 2019), both teams have scored in their last seven meetings.
Over 2.5 objectives – Yes (There have additionally been at least three objectives scored in their last seven conflicts.)
Where to watch
Watch the match on Hulu, Disney+, and ESPN+