Tag Archives: Royals

Arsenal poised to outgun Royals

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The Capital One Cup has provided Reading with rare moments of joy in what has been a difficult campaign to date, but they have to re-write the record books if they are to make it beyond Arsenal and into the quarter-finals on Tuesday (Reading 10/3, draw 5/2, Arsenal 5/6 Match Betting).

The newly promoted Royals have yet to win in the Premier League this season and are currently languishing down in 18th place.

Their form in the Capital One Cup though is at odds with their results in the league, with victories over Peterborough and QPR putting them on the brink of the quarter-finals. However, in their nine previous meetings with the Gunners they have lost every time.

Arsene Wenger’s side received a bye in the second round due to their presence in Europe but thumped Coventry 6-1 to reach this stage.

The London club’s form since has been patchy, having lost away to Norwich last Saturday before being convincingly brushed aside by Schalke in the Champions League in midweek.

Senior club officials then faced a grilling at the club’s AGM, with disgruntled shareholders concerned at the direction the club is headed following the sale of star striker Robin van Persie in the summer.

Their 1-0 win over QPR at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday helped to ease the gloom and end a difficult week on a high, moving them up to sixth place in the Premier League in the process.

Despite that success over the Hoops, expect a much changed side to take to the field at the Madejski Stadium as Wenger hands experience to several of his young players.

The likes of Nico Yennaris, Francis Coquelin and Serge Gnabry will be given the chance to impress, while the likes of Andrey Arshavin and Theo Walcott may also be given a run-out to maintain match sharpness.

Despite their struggles in the league, Reading boss Brian McDermott has fielded strong teams in his two Capital One Cup ties to date, though he will definitely be without Jem Karacan, who is out for six weeks with a knee injury.

Hal Robson-Kanu, who scored a late equaliser in the 3-3 draw with Fulham on Saturday, could be promoted to the starting line-up, though fellow forward Noel Hunt is a doubt.

A key attacking player for Reading will be Pavel Pogrebnyak. The Russia striker moved on a free transfer from Stuttgart over the summer and has scored in both the Royals’ league cup ties to date. His rather generous odds of 7/1 to net first are well worth considering.

For the Gunners, it may be worth looking at some of the more experienced players that will be taking to field when considering first goalscorer bets.

Theo Walcott was in decent form before picking up a rib injury on international duty and is priced at 6/1 to net first, while Marouane Chamakh is 5/1 to score on a rare first-team appearance.

Despite the number of expected changes in the Gunners side, it is hard to look beyond them in this fixture. The quality of their squad players and the youngsters from the academy should mean they have enough overcome McDermott’s men fairly comfortably.

An inexperienced defence may mean they let one slip at the back, but there is enough firepower in the squad to consider backing the 3-1 Arsenal victory priced at 14/1.

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Spurs out to dethrone Royals

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Despite the season only being in its infancy, a win appears to be a must for Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas as he prepares to take his team to Reading. The pressure is already beginning to mount on the Portuguese coach after a poor start to the campaign. The Royals are also winless thus far so something will have to give on Sunday afternoon at the Madjeski Stadium.

Reading v Tottenham – 4pm

Time is certainly a precious commodity in football and, as a new manager at one of the Premier League’s top clubs, it always appears to be running out. For Villas-Boas the clock seems to already be ticking after two disappointing draws at home to West Brom and Norwich, coming after the opening-day defeat at Newcastle.

As a former Chelsea man, AVB was always going to have to hit the ground running to win over the White Hart Lane faithful but it has been far from a smooth start thus far. The tactics and transfers of the 34-year-old have left some Spurs’ fans scratching their heads, with the Tottenham boss seemingly determined to play predominantly through the middle despite the presence of Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon on the wings.

The decision to let Rafael van der Vaart go has also left some fans puzzled, given his choice of tactics, and it will be interesting to see where Clint Dempsey and Moussa Dembele fit into Tottenham’s plans. Dembele came on against Norwich and changed the game, scoring on his debut. Given Dempsey’s terrific record in front of goal last season he might be work backing to do the same on his Spurs bow at 7/4.

The talent of the Tottenham squad is undeniable and that could be enough to get them through against Reading this weekend. The Royals did impress in their last outing – the 4-2 defeat to Chelsea – but that was nearly a month ago and manager Brian McDermott will have done well to keep his players in top form.

Reading certainly look as though they have enough about them to survive this season after some shrewd purchases in the summer but against the pace and skill of teams like Tottenham they could well struggle. Last year’s Championship winners have only ever beaten Spurs once, with the north Londoners having won on their previous two visits to Berkshire.

McDermott does have a near fully-fit squad to choose from, with Jason Roberts the only absentee and, with Pavel Pogregbnyak, Gareth McCleary and Jimmy Kebe at his disposal, they could cause Tottenham a few problems. Over 2.5 goals at 5/6 looks a solid bet with plenty of attacking talent on show.

The outcome of the match is likely to be decided by Tottenham’s new boys. Dempsey, Dembele and former Reading man Gylfi Sigurdsson should be the difference in buying Villas-Boas a bit of breathing space. At even money Spurs look a sound bet, with Reading 11/4 to cause an upset and the draw available at 5/2.

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Royals poised to take crown

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There are several key games in the Championship on Tuesday which could affect both promotion and relegation as the run-in to the end of the season continues. Reading could clinch promotion while Southampton might also find themselves in a very healthy position with just two games to go (Southampton 1/7 Championship Promotion).

Reading v Nottingham Forest

Reading’s record of eight wins, one draw and one defeat in their last 10 games is promotion form in anyone?s book and that is exactly what might happen on Tuesday evening.

A win for the Royal against Forest coupled with anything but a win for West Ham and Brian McDermott’s men will be plying their trade in the Premier League next term.

It has been a remarkable run from the Berkshire outfit and Friday’s 3-1 victory over Southampton proved beyond doubt that they are the best side in the division and deserve to both gain promotion and win the Championship title.

They will face a Forest side who are 19th in the table and, despite a decent record of having taken 15 points from their past 10 matches, should be no match for Reading on their own patch.

Adam Le Fondre is in red-hot form following his brace against the Saints and it would be fitting if he was to bag the winner and send Reading back to the Premier League after a four-year absence.

Defeat for Reading would not be a disaster as they will have two more games to seal promotion but it would be a brave man to back against a side that has won 14 of its last 16 games.

The Royals will find it a much tougher proposition in the top flight next season if they do make it but that will be the furthest thing from their mind if they get over the line on Tuesday, as the party will begin at the Madejski.

Odds: Reading 1/2, Forest 9/2, draw 11/4

Bristol City v West Ham

The Hammers looked like they would make an immediate return to the Premier League for three quarters of the season but a failure to win games when it matters has been their Achilles heel.

Sam Allardyce’s charges have won three of their last five matches and are still in with a decent shout of gaining second spot in the table but five successive draws in March means their fate is now out of their own hands.

If Southampton win their three remaining games then it will be the play-offs for the Hammers and all the pressure and heartache that the post-season brings.

Victory at Ashton Gate is therefore essential for the Londoners and that will not be easy to achieve as the Robins are fighting for their lives at the wrong end of the table.

They are four points clear of the relegation zone and three points next time out could see them secure Championship safety depending on how Coventry fare against Millwall.

City are unbeaten in five and have won two from three and a draw at fourth place Birmingham on Saturday proved that they are a side who do not intend to drop into League One.

West Ham do have the second best record away from home in the division, however, and so it will be a real test for Derek McInnes’ men to carry on their unbeaten run.

They do have a winnable game to follow with a home clash against Barnsley but the south west outfit would love to have their future sorted on Tuesday evening.

Odds: Bristol City 3/1, West Ham 8/11, draw 5/2

Peterborough v Southampton

Southampton had been on a similar run to Reading before coming a cropper at Blackpool on March 21 and that defeat seemed to knock the wind out of their sails.

A draw to local rivals Portsmouth was followed by victory over Crystal Palace but defeat to the Royals last time out means they have taken just four points from four games and let West Ham back in with a chance of beating them to the second automatic promotion spot.

But they do still have a three-point advantage over the East Enders and that it crucial at this late stage of the campaign.

Victory over the Posh in tandem with a defeat for the Hammers will give them, in golfing parlance, a dormie six-point advantage with two games to go and mean they are in pole position to return to the promised land.

The south coast club have been there or there abouts all season and deserve to go up without having to go through the play-offs, and will face a Peterborough side who are so close to securing their Championship survival.

One point should be enough to ensure they beat the drop due to their superior goal difference over those below them in the standings but the Peterborough fans will be glad that their heroes put some points on the board earlier this term as they have taken just four from their last six games with four defeats.

The players might already be ‘on their holidays’ but there are three games to go and they will want to finish on a positive note.

Posh have won 10 at home this season but it is hard to see them adding to that tally against Nigel Adkins’ men.

Odds: Peterborough 100/30, Southampton 4/6, draw 5/2

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Royals to reign over Clarets

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Friday’s Championship match pits two of the in-form teams in the division, Reading and Burnley, against one another as the battle for a play-off spot heats up.

The Royals have been steadily climbing the table and currently occupy that coveted sixth place, however, Burnley are desperately trying to claw their back into the play-off picture and three points could go a long way to helping their cause.

These two former Premier League clubs made poor stars to the season but have enjoyed an impressive turnaround in fortunes, Reading winning eight of the last ten to catapult themselves back into the top six.

The Royals came within the width of a post to securing a return to the top flight last season, losing out to Swansea in the play-off final.

As a result of their failure to make it back into the Premier League Reading were forced to sell off the likes of Shane Long and Matt Mills in order to balance the books. It was no surprise then that Reading made a slow start to the season, which has picked up recently following the takeover of Thames Valley Sports Investment.

The takeover by the Russian-backed consortium has given the whole club a lift, especially after they persuaded star winger Jimmy Kebe to sign a new deal.

As far as recent form goes the Royals have produced a mixed bag of results at home, losing to Stevenage in the FA Cup but battering West Ham and Brighton 3-0 in the league.

When they do win at home the Royals have kept clean sheets in six out of seven matches recently. As a result Reading to win 1-0 at 6/1 and 2-0 at 7/1 could well be worthwhile bets.

A look back at recent meetings between the two teams suggests Reading should win this one, bettering Burnley in their last four meetings.

However, the Clarets have happy memories of the Madejski Stadium having secured a place in the play-off final there in 2009. Burnley were ultimately promoted, but have struggled since coming straight back down the following season.

The board at Turf Moor decided to bring Eddie Howe in as manager in a bid to rebuild the club and after a shaky start their patience finally seems to be paying off. Burnley have lost three of the last 14 in the Championship, winning six of those games to move within five points and four places of Reading and the play-offs.

The Clarets picked up another three points against Barnsley at home in midweek, but it is their away form that has probably been more impressive, winning at the likes of Middlesbrough, Hull City, West Ham and Brighton in recent months.

Howe’s men are 11/4 to claim another victory on the road and with their crippling injury crisis finally starting to ease this price might tempt a few. Reading are 4/5, with the draw 12/5, and as previously mentioned the Royals to win to nil is the best bet if you fancy Brian McDermott’s men.

The Royals look to have the momentum, but as many punters have learned the outcome of matches in the Championship are tough to predict, especially when two in-form clubs meet.

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