Plymouth Argyle celebrated a hard-fought 3-2 victory at Cambridge United last weekend and they will aim to secure maximum points from another promotion rival when hosting Reading at Home Park on Saturday.
Recent weeks have been a mixed bag for Plymouth, who have won three and lost three of their last six League One fixtures.
But Tom Cleverley’s side have held a top-six position since mid-September and their 22-point tally is nine higher than at the same stage of last season.
Argyle were relegated from the Championship in 2025, while Reading last played second-tier football in 2023.
Four successive seasons in League One have been tough to swallow for Reading fans, but there is a growing sense of optimism that there may be better times on the horizon.
The Royals were ambitious with their transfer dealings and are keen to mount a serious push for promotion.
They are off to a strong start, with 21 points accumulated from 12 matches, but are well aware of the need for improvement on their travels.
Leam Richardson’s side have won just one of five away games, but they head to Devon with a spring in their step after last Saturday’s 2-1 triumph at home to Barnsley.
Plymouth Argyle v Reading Tips Summary
Best Bet - Draw @ 5/2
Alternative Bet - 1-1 correct score @ 13/2
Bet Builder - Aribim Pepple anytime scorer, Under 3 goals & Reading to win most corners @ 17/1
Plymouth Argyle v Reading Prediction
Best Bet: Draw @ 5/2
Plymouth are on a run of 11 League One games without any draws, but they could share the points with Reading in an evenly-matched affair.
Finding a consistent level of performance is an ongoing challenge for Argyle, who were well below par in losses at home to Huddersfield (2-0) and away to Stevenage (3-0) before responding with an eye-catching 3-2 victory at Cambridge.
But a pressing concern for Argyle’s manager Cleverley is to stem the flow of opposition goals.
Plymouth have gone four league games without keeping a clean sheet and their goals against tally (19) is the highest of the top 10 clubs.
However, they have been boosted by the recent return from injury of experienced defender Julio Pleguezelo, and will be delighted to take on a Reading team without eight-goal top scorer Jack Marriott, who remains absent with an ankle injury.
Reading have adjusted well enough to Marriott’s absence to reel off successive home wins over Leyton Orient (1-0) and Barnsley (2-1).
But they have registered only one away league victory since the end of March and may be happy enough to take a point in Devon.
Alternative Bet: 1-1 correct score @ 13/2
Plymouth’s last two League One draws produced a 1-1 scoreline and there is a reasonable chance of the same outcome.
Argyle will be keen to tighten up their defensive work, but there could be a negative consequence with a potential reduction to their offensive threat.
Both teams will afford each other plenty of respect and the upshot could be a fairly low-scoring affair.
Plymouth Argyle v Reading Bet Builder Tip
- Aribim Pepple anytime scorer
- Under 3 goals
- Reading to win the most corners
Pays 17/1
Plymouth have been a bit too open in some of their home games, but there could be a tactical tweak this weekend with Cleverley keen to give his team a stronger defensive platform.
Cleverley may play more on the counter-attack and rely on the pace and strength of his five-goal top scorer Aribim Pepple.
Reading will be aware of the threat, but they could struggle to contain the 23-year-old Canadian, who can get on the scoresheet in a closely-fought encounter.
The away side will look to use the width of the pitch and utilise the strengths of winger Kyreece Lisbie, who has netted four times in his last four appearances.
Reading’s wingplay generates plenty of corners and could contribute to them winning the flag-kick count against a fairly direct Argyle side.
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Key Match Stats
- Plymouth have conceded the first goal in four of their last five games
- Argyle have scored in eight of their last 11 fixtures
- Both teams have scored in four of Reading’s last six league fixtures
- Reading have won just one of their last nine away league games
- Six of Reading’s last nine away league fixtures have featured fewer than three goals
- Reading are unbeaten in their last five matches against Plymouth
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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.
