Blackpool will be aiming to get back to winning ways on Wednesday after losing at the weekend when they travel to the Select Car Leasing Stadium to face Reading.

The hosts have the opportunity to extend their run of victories to three consecutive games, which would potentially put them in the playoff positions.

Match preview

Reading manager Veljko Paunovic pictured on September 18, 2021 © Reuters

While they have lost more games than any other team in the top half of the Championship (5), Reading find themselves sat in seventh place at the moment.

They have been strong at times and the fact they have picked up six victories has certainly helped secure their position, as the club searches for a return to the Premier League.

Reading head into Wednesday in fine form after picking up back-to-back wins, both of which saw them keep clean sheets and earn the three points via just a single goal.

The Royals followed a 1-0 victory against Cardiff City with another on Saturday as John Swift's goal proved to be enough to defeat Barnsley.

Last season Reading missed out on the playoffs by seven points and they will be keen not to find themselves in that position once again, which is why they will want to keep this momentum going.

Blackpool manager Neil Critchley before the match on September 28, 2021 © Reuters

On the other hand, Blackpool are adjusting to life in the Championship reasonably well following their promotion in the previous campaign, as they sit 15th.

Before last weekend, the Seasiders had managed to go four games in a row without a defeat, securing three wins and a draw in that period.

However, in their most recent outing, Neil Critchley's team were defeated 2-1 by Nottingham Forest, despite Jerry Yates bringing them level in the 53rd minute.

Yates finished top scorer for the club last season and he has adapted to his new league, scoring three times now this season and he will once again be a threat this weekend.

Reading Championship form:

Reading form (all competitions):

Blackpool Championship form:

Blackpool form (all competitions):

Team News

Blackpool manager Neil Critchley on September 11, 2021 © Reuters

Both Junior Hoilett and Andy Rinomhota were unavailable at the weekend, but the latter is expected to be an option in midweek, which would be a boost for the Royals.

Blackpool have several major injuries at the moment, with club captain Chris Maxwell currently out of action which has led to Daniel Grimshaw getting a chance to play in goal.

At the opposite end of the field Shayne Lavery is also unavailable with injuries, which adds pressure to Yates to provide the goals.

Kenneth Dougall is also expected to start on Wednesday as Kevin Stewart had to be replaced because of an ankle injury, adding further problems for the Seasiders.

However, Critchley was boosted by the return of Richard Keogh for the defeat against Nottingham Forest, which provided some strength for his defensive options.

Reading possible starting lineup:
Southwood; Yiadom, Moore, Dann, Rahman; Laurent, Drinkwater; Dele-Bashiru, Swift, Ejaria; Puscas

Blackpool possible starting lineup:
Grimshaw; Lawrence-Gabriel, Ekpiteta, Keogh, Garbutt; John-Jules, Wintle, Dougall, Bowler; Yates, Madine

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We say: Reading 2-1 Blackpool

While Reading are the favourite team in this particular fixture, Blackpool will be keen to return to winning ways and get themselves back on track in midweek.

The fixture is sure to be a closely-contested one as both teams are in strong form as of late with great attacking options, but the hosts should have enough experience to see them through.

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 Blackpool win with a probability of 38.43%. A win for Reading had a probability of 33.7% and a draw had a probability of 27.9%.

The most likely scoreline for a Blackpool win was 0-1 with a probability of 11.56%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (8.07%) and 0-2 (7.12%). The likeliest Reading win was 1-0 (10.65%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.11%). The actual scoreline of 2-3 was predicted with a 1.9% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Blackpool would win this match.