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Reading logo
Championship | Gameweek 16
Dec 5, 2020 at 12.30pm UK
Madejski Stadium
Nottingham Forest logo

Reading
2 - 0
Nott'm Forest

Joao (16' pen.), Morrison (53')
Richards (83')
FT(HT: 1-0)

Cafu (90+1')
Yates (15')

Preview: Reading vs. Nottingham Forest - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Saturday's Championship clash between Reading and Nottingham Forest, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Reading will welcome supporters to the Madejski Stadium for the first time since March when they host Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

The Royals, who drew 1-1 against Sheffield Wednesday in midweek, are one of just nine Championship clubs in tier two, which will allow 2,000 fans to attend.


Match preview

Reading manager Veljko Paunovic pictured in October 2020© Reuters

Reading missed the chance to go top of the table at Hillsborough, playing against an Owls side who only had 10 men for the final hour after Liam Shaw's red card.

Lucas Joao provided the Royals equaliser after Callum Paterson had put the hosts ahead, but Veljko Paunovic's team could not find a winning goal and had several penalty appeals waved away in the second half.

They are though just a point behind league leaders Norwich City, which is not a bad place to be considering that a fortnight ago the Royals were in the middle of a four-game losing run.

They are searching for their first clean sheet in nine matches, but only Watford have won more home games in the Championship than the Berkshire side this season.

Nottingham Forest have not won on any of their last five trips to the Madejski Stadium and have one of the worst away records in the division this season.

Nottingham Forest's Scott McKenna celebrates with teammates after scoring against Coventry City on November 4, 2020© Reuters

The Reds have just four points from seven games on the road – only Coventry City have fewer – and have netted just twice.

However they earned a respectable point in a 0-0 draw at home to high-flying Watford in midweek, ending a three-game losing streak in the process.

Chris Hughton will have been encouraged by his team's performance, as they had the better of the chances across the 90 minutes and kept the Hornets' talented attack at bay.

Nonetheless, the former Brighton and Hove Albion boss still has plenty of work to do as he attempts to turn Forest's season around as they are still just one place and three points above the relegation zone.

The two games between Reading and Forest last season were played within 11 days of each other in January and both finished 1-1.

Reading Championship form: LLLDWD

Nottingham Forest Championship form: WWLLLD


Team News

Reading's Yakou Meite in action against Wycombe Wanderers on October 20, 2020© Reuters

Veljko Paunovic has said that he hopes to have Yakou Meite back available for the game after the Frenchman missed the trip to Sheffield Wednesday with a knock.

Meite could replace Alfa Semedo in the starting lineup to allow Reading to go with the same team that beat Bristol City so impressively last weekend.

The Royals have limited options to call upon from the bench, with John Swift and George Puscas currently out injured.

Scott McKenna missed Forest's stalemate with Watford with an ankle problem, but is expected to be back available.

However McKenna's replacement on Wednesday night, Joe Worrall, put in an excellent performance and could keep the Scottish international out of the team.

Tyler Blackett, Samba Sow and Lewis Grabban are all back in training after time on the sidelines, but it has been confirmed that Jack Colback's ankle injury will rule him out for a number of weeks.

Reading possible starting lineup:
Rafael; Holmes, Morrison, Moore, Richards; Rinomhota, Laurent; Meite, Olise, Ejaria; Joao

Nottingham Forest possible starting lineup:
Samba; Christie, Worrall, Figueiredo, Ribeiro; Yates, Cafu; Knockaert, Arter, Lolley; Taylor


SM words green background

We say: Reading 1-0 Nottingham Forest

Reading were unfortunate not to win in midweek so will be aiming to ensure they get three points this time around, particularly in front of their returning supporters. Add into the equation Forest's dismal away record and most of the signs point towards a Royals a victory.


Top betting tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting a double chance bet on a home win or an away win in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Home/Away:data


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Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Reading win with a probability of 40.23%. A win for Nottingham Forest had a probability of 30.67% and a draw had a probability of 29.1%.

The most likely scoreline for a Reading win was 1-0 with a probability of 13.37%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (7.93%) and 2-1 (7.9%). The likeliest Nottingham Forest win was 0-1 (11.23%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.32%). The actual scoreline of 2-0 was predicted with a 7.9% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Reading would win this match.


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Reading manager Veljko Paunovic pictured in October 2020
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