Reading vs Ipswich Predictions

Paul Lambert’s reign at Ipswich got off to a mixed start, but he has a huge chance to change their fortunes on Saturday. He takes the Tractor Boys to the Madejski Stadium, for a huge relegation six-pointer in the Championship. Can the visitors claim a rare victory, or are they going to come up short on the road once again?

The Royals are fresh off a victory, but that didn’t move them out of danger. They beat Bristol City 3-2 in a thrilling game on Saturday, but they remain third from bottom after 16 games. They are only behind Preston on goals scored, so this clash gives the hosts a brilliant chance to boost their chances of surviving the drop this season. Paul Clement has managed to hang on to his job with some good form at home of late, and this is a clash he has to win, or else he’ll be looking to join Carlo Ancelotti’s staff in Naples.

Ipswich come into this game as the bottom side in the Championship, and they’re under huge pressure to close the gap. They’re already five points adrift, after drawing 1-1 at home to Preston last weekend. They could have cut the gap to the 21^st placed side, and as a result Reading would have been out of the drop zone for this one. Lambert’s first game in charge may look like a missed opportunity now, but he has a chance to make up for that when he takes his team for Berkshire.

The problem for Ipswich is that they’ve lost six of their eight away trips in the league this season. They come into this one having lost back to back games on the road, having gone down at Leeds and Millwall. They’ve averaged just 0.75 goals per game on their travels, failing to score in 62% of their trips. Having failed to keep a clean sheet on the road too, it’s not hard to see why the Tractor Boys are stalling.

Meanwhile, Reading have been dependent on their home form to keep them in touching distance of survival this season. They’ve picked up at their own ground of late, while they’ve claimed 60% of their points this season at home. They come into Saturday’s clash knowing that they need three points, and with three wins in their last four at home, they’re bound to be confident. Given how poor the visitors are on their travels, we’re going with a Reading win on Saturday, which could take them out of the bottom three.