Swansea City square off against Reading on Sunday afternoon knowing that they will secure their place in the Championship playoffs by avoiding defeat at the Madejski Stadium.
Sitting six points adrift of the top six, Reading realistically require three victories in succession to give themselves a chance of promotion to the Premier League.
Match preview
© Reuters
Having witnessed his Swansea side lose five of their last eight matches, Steve Cooper will have concerns about how his players may fare in the playoffs should they confirm their place in the top six.
However, there will also be a part of Cooper which will be relieved if they remain in the hunt for Premier League promotion, something he would not have envisaged in the middle of March.
The Welsh outfit have generally been performing better away from the Liberty Stadium, but there will be huge frustration behind the scenes after earning just one point from home fixtures against Wycombe Wanderers and Queens Park Rangers.
On the plus side, Swansea came back from two goals down to claim a draw against Wycombe, and similar character will be required if they are to challenge for a return to the top flight.
Cooper and his squad must first focus their attention on a Reading outfit who look like missing out after such a dominant start to the campaign.
© Reuters
At different stages of the season, Veljko Paunovic's team have put together unbeaten streaks of eight and seven matches, laying the foundations for a shot at promotion.
However, picking up eight points from as many fixtures has coincided with the resurgence of Bournemouth, circumstances which have left Reading on the brink of another year in the second tier.
Having ended the last three seasons in the bottom half of the table, some perspective is required when assessing the past eight months, but there will inevitably be disappointment with their current position.
With nine points still to play for, there is still hope, although a top-six finish will only remain achievable if Swansea and champions Norwich City are defeated in successive games.
- D
- D
- W
- L
- D
- D
- L
- L
- W
- W
- D
- L
Team News
© Reuters
Cooper has revealed that Swansea forward Andre Ayew is expected to sit out one more match with a hamstring injury.
Liam Cullen could be handed a start ahead of Wayne Routledge, while Conor Hourihane will hope to feature having remained as an unused substitute in midweek.
As far as Reading are concerned, Lewis Gibson is likely to feature in defence after an injury to Liam Moore.
Lucas Joao remains sidelined with a shoulder injury, but John Swift could be recalled in midfield.
Sam Baldock may be preferred to George Puscas after Reading's struggles against Luton Town.
Reading possible starting lineup:
Cabral; Yiadom, Gibson, Holmes, Richards; Rinomhota, Laurent; Meite, Swift, Ejaria; Puscas
Swansea City possible starting lineup:
Woodman; Guehi, Bennett, Naughton; Roberts, Hourihane, Grimes, Fulton, Bidwell; Cullen, Lowe
We say: Reading 1-1 Swansea City
Reading will inevitably push for victory from the opening whistle, something which could benefit them given the calibre of their players in the final third. Nevertheless, we expect Swansea to rise to the occasion, earning a share of the spoils with a goal on the counter.
Top tip
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 Swansea City win with a probability of 38.1%. A win for Reading had a probability of 33.45% and a draw had a probability of 28.5%.
The most likely scoreline for a Swansea City win was 0-1 with a probability of 12.11%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (7.88%) and 0-2 (7.2%). The likeliest Reading win was 1-0 (11.16%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.26%). The actual scoreline of 2-2 was predicted with a 4.3% likelihood.
