MX23RW : Monday, December 23 13:28:42| >> :120:52053:52053:
[monks data]
Blackburn logo
Championship | Gameweek 8
Oct 27, 2020 at 7.45pm UK
Ewood Park
Reading logo

Blackburn
2 - 4
Reading

Armstrong (3', 66')
Holtby (5'), Trybull (20')
FT(HT: 1-3)
Meite (1'), Olise (15'), Laurent (18'), Joao (83')
Cabral (76'), Joao (79')

Preview: Blackburn Rovers vs. Reading - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Tuesday's Championship fixture between Blackburn Rovers and Reading, including predictions, team news and lineups.

Blackburn Rovers welcome league-leaders Reading to Ewood Park on Tuesday as both teams look to build on Saturday's resounding victories.

The Royals were able to see off Rotherham United 3-0, while Rovers dismantled a depleted Coventry City side to win 4-0 away from home, bouncing back from two consecutive defeats.


Match preview

Adam Armstrong celebrates scoring for Blackburn Rovers on September 19, 2020© Reuters

Tony Mowbray's men put in a convincing display against Coventry City on Saturday as they looked to stay in touch with the playoff places, with Adam Armstrong netting twice to down the Sky Blues.

City's Michael Rose was shown a straight red card after bringing down Ben Brereton in the penalty area in the 14th minute and from that moment, it looked to be a long afternoon ahead for Mark Robins's men.

Armstrong - now with seven league goals so far this season - has been a big positive for Rovers and his brace on Saturday makes him the league's joint-top goalscorer, level with Brentford's Ivan Toney.

Blackburn are also the league's top scorers with 16 goals in their opening seven games, and with the addition of Liverpool loanee Harvey Elliott Rovers look to be building a potent strike force.

Reading's Yakou Meite celebrates scoring against Rotherham United in the Championship on October 24, 2020© Reuters

From Reading's perspective, they will be quietly pleased with their win over Rotherham, despite Veljko Paunovic stating that his side are still not at their best.

Two goals from Yakou Meite and a late penalty from substitute Lucas Joao were enough to overcome Rotherham, despite the visitors looking the stronger side throughout.

This won't concern Reading, however, as they now have six wins from seven, with Middlesbrough the only team to take a point from the Royals.

Reading will once again look to their strong defensive unit, who have conceded a league-low total of one goal this season, to nullify a free-flowing Rovers attack.

Blackburn Rovers Championship form: LWWDLL

Reading Championship form: WWWDWW


Team News

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

Mowbray, who was delighted with Harvey Elliott's contributions on Saturday, will likely hand him his second start since joining the club.

Thomas Kaminski will have to be assessed after suffering an injury later on in the victory against Coventry. If he is deemed unfit, new signing Aynsley Pears will be set for his first appearance for the club.

Despite scoring the winner for Reading against Wycombe last week, Lucas Joao had to settle for a place on the bench having been replaced by George Puscas, and Paunovic will have to decide whether to recall the Portuguese forward, due to Puscas's blank.

Aside from tinkering with his front line, Paunovic is likely to name an unchanged lineup.

Blackburn Rovers possible starting lineup:
Kaminski; Nyambe, Lenihan, Williams, Bell; Trybull, Holtby, Johnson; Elliott, Armstrong, Brereton

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


SM words green background

We say: Blackburn Rovers 2-1 Reading

As the league's top scorers welcome the division's strongest defence, this one could easily see both teams cancel each other out. That said, we are backing Mowbray's men - inspired by recent addition Harvey Elliott - to come out on top and end Reading's unbeaten run.


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


ID:419745:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect7533:
Written by
Alex Mills

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 Blackburn Rovers win with a probability of 47.15%. A win for Reading had a probability of 27% and a draw had a probability of 25.8%.

The most likely scoreline for a Blackburn Rovers win was 1-0 with a probability of 11.49%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.21%) and 2-0 (8.62%). The likeliest Reading win was 0-1 (8.19%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.28%). The actual scoreline of 2-4 was predicted with a 0.5% likelihood.


Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Game History

Who will win the Championship clash between Blackburn Rovers and Reading?

Blackburn Rovers
0.0%
Draw
0.0%
Reading
0.0%
0
Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Blackburn Rovers manager Tony Mowbray pictured on October 17, 2020
Read Next:
Tony Mowbray full of praise for Blackburn following Coventry rout
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free daily transfer newsletter! Sent twice a day during the transfer window.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd22155232112148
2Leeds UnitedLeeds22136341152645
3Burnley2212822891944
4Sunderland22127334181643
5Blackburn RoversBlackburn2111462518737
6Middlesbrough22105738281035
7West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom22811326161035
8Watford2110473028234
9Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds229582830-232
10Millwall217772118328
11Swansea CitySwansea227692424027
12Bristol City226972628-227
13Norwich CityNorwich226883734326
14Queens Park RangersQPR2251072328-525
15Luton TownLuton2274112538-1325
16Derby CountyDerby2266102728-124
17Coventry CityCoventry2266102834-624
18Preston North EndPreston2241172229-723
19Stoke CityStoke2257102330-722
20Portsmouth204882535-1020
21Hull City2247112131-1019
22Cardiff CityCardiff2146111934-1518
23Oxford UnitedOxford Utd2146112137-1618
24Plymouth ArgylePlymouth2146112245-2318


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!