Reading vs Crystal Palace Betting Tips and Predictions 

Reading gave Arsenal a real fright in the Semi Finals last year and if it wasn’t for a horrendous goalkeeping error they could very well have taken the game to a shoot-out. Their appetite for the competition has continued this year and they’ve seen off Huddersfield, Walsall and West Brom at the Madejski Stadium to make it this far, scoring 12 goals in those 3 home games.

Crystal Palace’s run to the Quarter Finals has been considerably more difficult and they’ve been drawn against top half Premier League sides in every round. Impressive away wins at Tottenham and Southampton either side of a home victory over Stoke have seen them reach this round and what should in theory be their easiest tie in the competition so far.

That is the theory anyway. In reality this could be a really tricky evening for Palace against a Reading side that have been in great form prior to a 3-1 defeat at Huddersfield on Tuesday when they already had one eye on this game with little to play for in the league. They’d lost just 1 of their previous 10 matches and are unbeaten in 9 outings at the Madejski Stadium so far in 2016.

Contrast that to Palace, who are in freefall in the Premier League. They’ve gone 12 matches without a league win and have plummeted from European contention into 15th place although they should still have a sufficient cushion to beat the drop. Their FA Cup run has brought them relief from their league misery and they seem to enjoy playing in it but there was little pressure on them in the previous games and they were clear underdogs in two of them.

This match though sees Palace come in as favourites and they know that their season is now dependent on it such is their awful form in the league. That will bring its own pressure and against a Reading side that confidently dispatched Premier League West Brom in the last round and have been scoring plenty of goals they could run into trouble. The Royals should probably be a bit higher in the Championship given the quality in their squad and backing Reading Draw No Bet at 5/4 looks to offer value here.