Preview: Reading vs Northampton Town - prediction, team news, lineups

This match has since been postponed due to international call-ups for Northampton.

Reading will be aiming to record just their second League One victory of the campaign when they welcome Northampton Town to the Madejski Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Royals are 17th in the League One table, picking up five points from their first six matches, while their visitors are 15th, collecting seven points from their opening six games of 2025-26.

Match preview

Reading finished seventh in League One last season, three points behind sixth-placed Leyton Orient, and the Royals will certainly be looking to challenge for the playoffs and potential promotion this term.

However, Noel Hunt's side have made a slow start to the campaign, picking up five points from six matches to sit 17th, boasting a record of one win, two draws and three defeats.

Reading were 1-0 winners over Port Vale in League One last weekend, but they will enter this match off the back of a defeat, going down 3-2 to Swindon Town in the EFL Trophy on Tuesday night.

The Royals are unbeaten in their last three matches with Northampton, recording two wins in the process, but it was goalless when the pair last locked horns in April 2025.

Northampton, meanwhile, finished 19th in League One last season, just five points outside of the relegation zone, so there is certainly room for improvement during the 2025-26 campaign.

The Cobblers will enter this match off the back of successive wins, having beaten Exeter City 2-0 on August 23 before recording a 1-0 victory over Leyton Orient on August 30.

Kevin Nolan's side have a record of two wins, one draw and three defeats from their six league matches this season, with a total of seven points leaving them in 15th spot in the division.

Northampton have actually only scored four times in League One this season, with only Port Vale and Peterborough United (both two) performing worse in front of goal during the current campaign.

The Cobblers were last victorious over Reading in October 2023, running out 3-1 winners on home soil.

Reading League One form:

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Reading form (all competitions):

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Northampton League One form:

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Northampton form (all competitions):

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Team News

Reading will be without the services of Mark O'Mahony and Basil Tuma for this contest, with the pair earning international call-ups for Republic of Ireland Under-21s and Malta Under-21s respectively.

As a result, there will have to be a change in the final third of the field, with Jack Marriott expected to be introduced.

Elsewhere, there are unlikely to be any further alterations, with Lewis Wing in line for another start; the 30-year-old has two goals in six appearances at the start of the 2025-26 campaign.

As for Northampton, there will have to be two changes in the final third of the field, with Tyrese Fornah (Sierra Leone) and Ethan Wheatley (England Under-20s) called up by their countries.

Tom Eaves and Elliott List are expected to be the players to benefit in terms of spots in the XI.

However, there will be another start in an attacking area for Terry Taylor, who is on loan at the club from Championship outfit Charlton Athletic.

Reading possible starting lineup:

Pereira; Ahmed, Burns, Williams, Garcia; Savage, Wing, Elliott; Lane, Marriott, Kyerewaa

Northampton Town possible starting lineup:

Burge; Perkins, McCarthy, Dyche; Hoskins, Campbell, Guinness-Walker, Taylor; McGeehan, Eaves, List

We say: Reading 1-1 Northampton Town

This is a tough match to call, as the visitors are in the better form, but Reading have not lost at home to Northampton since 1999. It could go either way, but we have had to settle on a low-scoring draw here.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.