Reading v Birmingham City: Prediction, Tips and Odds

It has been a good week for League One leaders Birmingham, who are 11 points clear of third place after a rare Wrexham hiccup and off to Wembley in the EFL Trophy final.

Chris Davies' sleeping giants are doing precious little wrong on their quest to make their stay in the third tier as brief as possible but he is well aware that big tests are still to come.

And the first is at Reading this weekend.

Reading v Birmingham City betting tips and predictions

Reading or Draw Double Chance - 13/8

When Birmingham were relegated in the summer, dropped into the third tier of English football for the first time since 1995, their first assignment was a home date with Reading.

That was a different Reading who went to St Andrew's in August, a Royals' side with Ruben Selles as manager, up for sale and with little to shout about following last season's dismal 17th-place finish.

But if the Blues needed a taste of what to expect then they certainly got it that day.

Reading were excellent, took the lead, had two more efforts ruled out, and were eventually and belatedly pegged back by an Alfie May penalty in a game that finished 1-1.

Reading had marked Birmingham's card - and in fairness to Birmingham they took the lesson well.

Because since then, Chris Davies' Blues have hardly put a foot wrong, losing just twice all season, the second of which was way back in November, and they go into the run-in with a six-point edge over Wycombe, an 11-point cushion over third-placed Wrexham, games in hand over both and nailed-on for promotion.

Reading's path since then has been far more nuanced. They are still up for sale though Selles has departed, leaving for Hull with Noel Hunt succeeding him.

And the Berkshire club's ambition is making the top six, something that is well within their grasp after last week's 2-1 win over Rotherham which put them just four points behind the play-off places.

Their home form at the SCL Stadium is exemplary - 11 wins out of 15 - and having stopped Birmingham once this season they have to feel positive about doing it again.

The schedule does them a favour - they have had a week off while Birmingham were embroiled in a hard-fought EFL Trophy semi-final win over Bradford City on Tuesday night.

And that 2-1 win came at a price with their £15m, 20-goal top scorer Jay Stansfield being carried off on a stretcher.

Davies is blessed with cover across the park thanks to a huge summer spend but they would miss Stansfield, a player who started the season playing at Old Trafford in the Premier League with Fulham.

Reading go fresh, the Blues looked leggy against Bradford, and there is a case to be made for the hosts avoiding defeat so the 13/8 Reading or Draw in the Double Chance market comes into play.

No Goal Before 27:00 - 5/6

The first goal in the 1-1 draw between these sides when they met in Birmingham in August was scored by Reading's Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan after 42 minutes.

Indeed, the first half of that fixture produced just eight shots in total.

Clearly the home Blues were finding their feet but they were given precious little space to breathe by a Reading side who would have taken a 0-0 draw from the off.

That still applies a few months later and back at Reading, where if you offered Noel Hunt a point before kick-off he'd snap your hand off.

Reading have conceded only one goal before the 27th minute in their last six games while the Blues have not shipped a goal before that mark in their past five league games.

Birmingham do like to get the ball down and play and against a Reading side who will try to squeeze where they can, don't be surprised if there is not an early goal.

Race to 7 Corners - Neither - 20/21

A little-known fact about Reading in 2024/25 is that they have won fewer home corners than any other side in League One this season apart from Crawley.

The Royals average just 3.5 corners per home game this term while Birmingham aren't that much more prolific away, where they average 5.1.

The first game between the clubs yielded nine corners with Birmingham winning only three.

Neither side reached seven at St Andrew's in August and the same outcome could cop at the SCL Stadium this stadium.

Read more football betting tips and predictions on site

Reading v Birmingham City odds

Reading - 11/2
Draw - 7/2
Birmingham City - 4/9

View the full market and more odds for Reading v Birmingham City on site.

Read Reading v Birmingham City how to watch, live stream, TV channel, kick-off time, head-to-head stats and more 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.