Peterborough United may have bigger fish to fry than a run in the FA Cup as they appear set for a struggle at the wrong end of League One, but a first-round victory over Reading would still be a big boost for morale.
The Royals find themselves handily placed as they size up a third-tier promotion bid, but they need to recover from a 2-0 defeat against Oxford United on Wednesday, which ended a run of two wins and a draw in their previous three league outings.
Peterborough United v Reading Tips Summary
Best Bet - Reading to win @ 11/8
Alternative Bet - Jack Marriott to score at any time @ 10/11
Bet Builder - Under four goals, over 10 corners & Reading to lead at half-time @ 9/1
Peterborough United v Reading Prediction
Best Bet: Reading to win @ 11/8
Reading will be anxious to lift themselves after the disappointment of a 2-0 loss at Oxford, and a cup trip to Peterborough could be just the ticket.
An eye-catching 3-1 win at Leicester City has been the only occasion when Posh have won in their last 11 league games and with a relegation battle looming, a run in the FA Cup may not be high on their list of priorities.
The Royals have scored eight times in seven away games this season with most of those coming in a 5-1 win at MK Dons, but they will be facing a shaky Peterborough defence that has conceded 23 goals in League One this season - only bottom club Bromley have let in more.
Alternative Bet: Jack Marriott to score at any time @ 10/11
Reading have failed to score in their last three away games against Wigan Athletic, Plymouth Argyle and Oxford, but the man who looks most likely to break that sequence is striker Jack Marriott.
The well-travelled forward has not scored in his last three matches but he has still had plenty of efforts on goal and will be determined to add to his haul of eight goals for the season.
Marriott has had 11 efforts without finding the net in his last three games, five of which have been on target, so it does not seem as if it will be a long time before he breaks his mini-drought.
The 32-year-old will certainly have Peterborough’s defence fearing the worst given he has scored a hat-trick against Luton Town and netted doubles against both Mansfield Town and Notts County already this season.
Peterborough United v Reading Bet Builder Tip
- Under four goals
- Over 10 corners
- Reading to lead at half-time
Pays 9/1
No team in League One have scored more goals on their own patch than the 17 that Reading have registered at their Berkshire base, but it has been a different story on the road.
The Royals have scored just eight goals in seven league away games, while five of their last six outings in all competitions, home or away, have featured fewer than three goals.
While goals may be thin on the ground, there does look a decent chance that the corner count will be high and can reach double figures.
Peterborough have averaged six per game in their 13 League One outings while Reading are not too far behind with a flag-kick figure of 5.71 per contest.
There also looks a good chance that Reading will go into half-time ahead, as they have conceded a first-half goal in just three of their 14 league matches, while Peterborough have conceded before the interval in eight of their 13 outings, which is the highest figure in the third tier.
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Key Match Stats
- Only bottom-of-the-table Bromley have conceded more goals in League One than Peterborough this season
- Posh have tasted victory in just one of their last 11 league outings
- The London Road outfit have kept just one clean sheet since their first game of the campaign
- Reading have posted two wins in their nine away matches this season
- Five of the Royals’ last seven outings have featured fewer than three goals
- Both teams have scored in each of the last five meetings
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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.
