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Swansea logo
Championship | Gameweek 20
Nov 27, 2021 at 3pm UK
Liberty Stadium
Reading logo

Swansea
2 - 3
Reading

Paterson (3'), Manning (49')
Laird (83')
FT(HT: 1-2)
Dele-Bashiru (4'), Carroll (30'), Drinkwater (50')
Drinkwater (74'), Swift (86'), Puscas (89')

Preview: Swansea City vs. Reading - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Saturday's Championship clash between Swansea City and Reading, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Championship strugglers Reading travel to Swansea City on Saturday without a win in their last 16 games against the Welsh side.

The Royals are 21st in the table and just two points above the relegation zone, while the Swans are ninth and four points behind the playoffs.


Match preview

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

A six-point deduction has dropped Reading close to relegation danger, but in truth their form has been worrying anyway as they have picked up just one win in their last seven matches, losing five of those.

Following a 1-0 defeat to Sheffield United on Tuesday, Veljko Paunovic's side could fall into the bottom three this weekend if they lose in Wales and Peterborough United beat Barnsley.

A potential six-pointer then awaits the Royals next weekend as they host a resurgent Hull City side who currently sit a point ahead of them in 19th.

Reading have never won a league game at the Swansea.com Stadium since it opened in 2005, while only three teams have picked up fewer points than the Berkshire outfit away from home this season.

Swansea City's Joel Piroe celebrates scoring their second goal with teammates on October 17, 2021© Reuters

Swansea are unbeaten in their last seven home matches, with their only defeat in Landore this season coming in August; they have conceded the fewest home goals in the Championship (five).

Russell Martin praised an "outstanding" and "dominant" performance as the Swans beat lowly Barnsley 2-0 on Wednesday courtesy of late goals from Olivier Ntcham and Jamie Paterson – their first win in three games.

The Welsh outfit are one of only two sides in the division with a current goal difference of zero, having scored 23 and conceded 23.

Swansea knocked Reading out of the EFL Cup earlier this season with a comfortable 3-0 victory over a young Royals side at the Select Car Leasing Stadium.

Swansea City Championship form:
  • L
  • W
  • W
  • L
  • D
  • W

Reading Championship form:
  • L
  • L
  • L
  • W
  • D
  • L



Team News

Swansea City manager Russell Martin pictured on August 28, 2021© Reuters

Olivier Ntcham and Ryan Manning could both come back into Swansea's starting lineup after making an impact off the bench in midweek.

Manning, along with midfielder Flynn Downes, is one yellow card away from incurring a one-match suspension.

Centre forward Joel Piroe has scored five goals and registered three assists in his last eight matches.

Alen Halilovic returned from injury with a substitute appearance for Reading against Sheffield United so could be in contention to start.

Femi Azeez and Dejan Tetek also returned to the matchday squad in midweek and Veljko Paunovic will hope to welcome back the likes of Andy Rinomhota and Jahmari Clarke in the coming games.

Andy Carroll is still lacking match fitness so is unlikely to start, but should be used from the bench for the third successive game.

Swansea City possible starting lineup:
Hamer; Bennett, Naughton, Cabango; Laird, Grimes, Downes, Manning; Ntcham, Paterson; Piroe

Reading possible starting lineup:
Southwood; Holmes, Moore, Dann, Rahman; Laurent; Yiadom, Swift, Ejaria, Halilovic; Puscas


SM words green background

We say: Swansea City 2-0 Reading

Considering Swansea's strong home record and Reading's away woes, the Welsh side are clear favourites for this game. The Swans also have a fully-fit squad to choose from while the Royals are still missing several key players, so we think Russell Martin's side should pick up the three points.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting a home win 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.Home Win:data



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Written by
Olly Allen

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 51.79%. A draw had a probability of 27.2% and a win for Reading had a probability of 21.02%.

The most likely scoreline for a Swansea City win was 1-0 with a probability of 15.49%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (10.99%) and 2-1 (8.75%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (12.32%), while for a Reading win it was 0-1 (8.68%). The actual scoreline of 2-3 was predicted with a 0.9% likelihood.


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Game History

How you voted: Swansea vs Reading

Swansea City
85.0%
Draw
15.0%
Reading
0.0%
40
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Swansea City manager Russell Martin pictured on August 28, 2021
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