Bet up to £25 risk-free on Cardiff City draw
Play-off encounters are by their nature unpredictable, however it's rare for one to be as delicately poised as Friday's offering between Reading and Cardiff, for whom the similarities are so vast that they even both ended impressive campaigns equally disappointingly, with only one victory in four.
So it already looks a difficult fixture to pick a winner in, especially as the Reading side that gained the fewer points of the two during the regular season boast home advantage, before considering that five of their last six Championship meetings finished level, signalling the draw as the best bet at [3.4].
Thanks to our special offer for those opening new Betfair accounts, you can bet up to £25 on this match and have your stake refunded if your punt proves unsuccessful.
If you anticipate there being a winner then you can have a loss-proof bet on Reading at [2.26] or Cardiff at [3.65] instead but be warned that the hosts haven't won in any of the last eight clashes between the two promotion chasers.
Away goals aren't decisive in the play-offs, though Cardiff managed a vital one in their semi-final last year against Leicester and have been fairly prolific on their travels again in 2010-11, failing to net on just four occasions, so will be confident of returning to the Welsh capital in a favourable position.
The Bluebirds have struck on their last 14 trips to the Madejski Stadium and its predecessor Elm Park and last fired a blank there in 1947, so odds of [1.79] on both teams scoring appeals. The final score in two of the last three collisions in Berkshire was 1-1 and another can be backed at a tempting [7.0].
Reading v Cardiff
Kick-off: 7.45pm (Friday)
Live on Sky Sports 1
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Published: 13 May 2011
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