Reading play their final EFL Trophy group game on Tuesday against Bristol Rovers, and they need a comprehensive win if they’re to qualify for the next round.
The Royals are three points shy of Chelsea’s under-21s, and the young Blues have a stronger goal difference by a margin of three.
However, Bristol Rovers are in the middle of a dire run of form in League Two, and they’re already eliminated from the EFL Trophy. The League One Royals should be targeting all three points, but can they do enough to qualify?
Bristol Rovers v Reading Tips Summary
Best Bet - Reading to win @ 5/6
Alternative Bet - Reading -1 handicap @ 9/4
Bet Builder - Daniel Kyerewaa to score, over 2.5 goals, over 9 total corners @ 17/2
Bristol Rovers v Reading Prediction
Best Bet: Reading to win @ 5/6
Bristol Rovers claimed an FA Cup victory at the weekend, but they went into that clash winless in seven. The Gas have suffered five defeats in their last six league games, and they’ve slumped to 17th thanks to picking up one league win across the last two months.
That poor form extends to the EFL Trophy, where Rovers have drawn with Chelsea U21s and suffered a 4-1 defeat against Wycombe Wanderers.
They’ve conceded six times across their two matches in this competition, while the hosts will have an eye on Saturday’s home clash with Chesterfield when it comes to their team selection here, given they’re only four points clear of the bottom three.
Reading are just inside the playoff places in League One, and they head into this clash fresh from a 5-0 drubbing of Peterborough in the FA Cup First Round.
The Royals drew with Wycombe before suffering a home defeat to Chelsea’s U21s, but they can claim their first win of the group stage this week.
Reading have won three of their last five games, and they’ve got a fine record on the road. The Royals came through EFL Cup ties at Bromley and Stevenage earlier this term, before their weekend victory at Posh.
Bristol Rovers have been consistently outclassed by League Two’s top sides, suffering six defeats from six against the division’s top-eight. Reading have the quality, and the motivation, to secure a win at the Memorial Stadium.
Alternative Bet: Reading -1 handicap @ 9/4
Given that Reading need to win by a significant margin to progress to the knockout stages, the Royals hold some appeal at 9/4 to clear a -1 handicap.
The Royals have a -2 goal difference through their first two matches, and they need a three-goal win to simply draw level with second-placed Chelsea U21s. However, a 3-0 victory would still leave the Blues ahead on goals scored, while Chelsea U21s also hold the head-to-head tie-breaker.
So Reading either need to win by four, or score enough goals in a three-goal victory to overtake Chelsea’s tally of five.
While that’s unlikely, Reading should at least try to progress, and they visit a Rovers side that has already suffered five defeats by a two-goal margin or greater.
Bristol Rovers v Reading Bet Builder Tip
Daniel Kyerewaa to score
Over 2.5 goals
Over 9 total corners
Pays @ 17/2
Kyerewaa was on the scoresheet in the weekend win over Peterborough, and he was a standout for Reading in their EFL Trophy loss to Chelsea.
The winger also had a joint-high five shots across Reading’s three EFL Cup games, so he should play a big role in a rotated Royals side on Tuesday.
With Reading pushing for a big win, we should see this contest top 2.5 goals, and we could also see plenty of corners as a result. Bristol Rovers have seen 9.71 corners per game at home in the league this term, while Reading’s League One trips have seen an average of 10.86.
Learn more about how Bet Builders work in our Bet Builder guide.
Key Match Stats
Bristol Rovers have lost five of their last six games in League Two
The hosts were winless in seven before an FA Cup victory on Saturday
Rovers are already eliminated from the EFL Trophy after earning only one point from their first two games
Reading need to close a three-goal gap in terms of goal difference to have any chance of progressing
Bristol Rovers have lost all of their meetings with the top eight in League Two
Read more football betting tips and predictions on site.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
