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Championship | Gameweek 6
Oct 20, 2020 at 8pm UK
Madejski Stadium
Wycombe Wanderers

Reading
1 - 0
Wycombe

Joao (64')
Joao (35'), Rinomhota (78')
FT(HT: 0-0)

Preview: Reading vs. Wycombe Wanderers - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Tuesday's Championship clash between Reading and Wycombe Wanderers, including predictions and team news.

Two sides who have had very different starts to the season in the Championship meet on Tuesday night as Reading host Wycombe Wanderers.

The Royals sit second in the table – behind leaders Bristol City on just goals scored – while Wycombe are 23rd and only being kept off the bottom by Sheffield Wednesday's points deduction.


Match preview

Veljko Paunovic pictured in March 2019© Reuters

Reading's 0-0 draw with Middlesbrough on Saturday ended their four-game winning run in the Championship but ensured they remained as one of just three sides still unbeaten.

It was also their fourth clean sheet of the campaign, giving them the joint-best defensive record in the division along with Watford.

Veljko Paunovic may be confident of another shutout on Tuesday night as Wycombe have netted just once so far this season – Scott Kashket's early goal against Millwall on Saturday.

It was the first ever goal that the Chairboys had scored in the second tier, but they still fell to a fifth straight defeat as the Lions came from behind to win 2-1.

Their recent away record is not a pretty one as they have won just twice in their last 12 games on the road, although crucially one of those was a 4-1 victory at Fleetwood Town in last season's League One playoffs.

Wycombe Wanderers boss Gareth Ainsworth pictured on September 7, 2019© Reuters

Reading (7.8) and Wycombe (8.2) rank 24th and 23rd respectively for average shots taken per game in the Championship, a remarkable statistic considering where both teams place in the table.

The Royals' impressive start to the season – their best since 1985 – has come very much as a surprise considering that Paunovic was only appointed a week before the campaign began.

This fixture is actually somewhat of a local derby – Reading and Wycombe are both each other's closest club in the current top four divisions of English football.

They have not met in the league since February 2002 but drew 1-1 in the first round of the Carabao Cup last season before Reading won the tie on penalties.

Reading Championship form: WWWWD
Reading form (all competitions): WLWWWD

Wycombe Wanderers Championship form: LLLLL
Wycombe Wanderers form (all competitions): DLLLLL


Team News

Reading's George Puscas in action with Watford's James Garner in the Championship on October 3, 2020© Reuters

With a busy few weeks coming up, Veljko Paunovic will be torn between playing the same side to keep Reading's early season momentum going and making changes to keep his squad fresh.

Lucas Joao appears the most likely player to be rested on Tuesday following a recent injury, with George Puscas in line to start up front.

New signing Tomas Esteves may be seen as the most natural choice at right-back but it would be harsh to drop Tom Holmes after a couple of strong performances.

Gareth Ainsworth is hoping to welcome back a number of injured players in the next few weeks as he desperately tries to get points on the board.

Ryan Tafazolli, Dominic Gape, Alex Pattison and Uche Ikpeazu have all missed recent fixtures but are on the verge of a return.

38-year-old Adebayo Akinfenwa made his first ever Championship appearance as a substitute at the weekend but is likely to continue to be used off the bench rather than as a starter.

Reading possible starting lineup:
Rafael; Holmes, Moore, Morrison, Richards; Laurent, Rinomhota; Meite, Olise, Ejaria; Puscas

Wycombe Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Allsopp; Grimmer, Stewart, Knight, Jacobson; Wheeler, Freeman, Thompson, Horgan; Kashket, Samuel


SM words green background

We say: Reading 2-0 Wycombe Wanderers

Reading are one of the worst teams that goal-shy Wycombe could have hoped to face as they continue to search for their first points in the Championship. A sixth consecutive defeat seems likely for the Chairboys as the Royals continue to march on.


Top betting tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting over 1.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Over 1.5:data

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Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Reading win with a probability of 40%. A win for Wycombe Wanderers had a probability of 31.47% and a draw had a probability of 28.5%.

The most likely scoreline for a Reading win was 1-0 with a probability of 12.67%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.06%) and 2-0 (7.71%). The likeliest Wycombe Wanderers win was 0-1 (10.88%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.24%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with a 12.7% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 1-0 win for Reading in this match.


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General view of Wycombe Wanderers' Adams Park from November 2014
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Tables header RHS
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3Bolton WanderersBolton39228971432874
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5Barnsley382011770482271
6Oxford UnitedOxford Utd391891262521063
7Stevenage3917111151401162
8Lincoln CityLincoln3916131056332361
9Blackpool391791357421560
10Leyton Orient391610134444058
11Northampton TownNorthampton40158175160-953
12Wigan AthleticWigan39177155348550
13Wycombe WanderersWycombe381311145049150
14Bristol Rovers38148164857-950
15Exeter CityExeter39138183352-1947
16Charlton AthleticCharlton391015145758-145
17Shrewsbury TownShrewsbury39135212955-2644
18Reading39139175557-242
19Burton Albion39109203151-2039
20Cambridge UnitedCambridge38109193255-2339
21Port Vale3899203661-2536
22Cheltenham TownCheltenham3798203050-2035
23Fleetwood TownFleetwood39713194161-2034
24Carlisle UnitedCarlisle3959253569-3424


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