Reading v Cardiff: Both sides to oblige in Berkshire

Mark O'Haire
17 August 2019

Neil Warnock is chasing a record ninth promotion

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Cardiff are looking for an immediate bounce back to the Premier League and will be looking for a positive performance for Sunday's showdown with Reading. Mark O'Haire is expecting goals.

"Cardiff registered W11-D5-L8 under Neil Warnock’s watch during their promotion-winning Championship campaign of 2017/18. That sample included only four losses in 17 when excluding top-seven opponents"

Reading v Cardiff
Sunday August 18, 12:00
Live on Sky Sports

Reading remain winless in regulation time

Reading survived a scare at the hands of Wycombe on Tuesday as the Royals edged through to round two of the EFL Cup on penalties. New signing George Puscas grabbed his first goal for the Berkshire boys in his first start since signing from Inter Milan as Jose Gomes' group played out a 1-1 draw in regulation time following back-to-back league defeats.

Gomes made six changes to his team in midweek with goalkeeper Rafael impressing between the sticks, making two saves in the shootout. The Portuguese boss must now decide whether to continue with his new-look XI on Sunday following defeats against Sheffield Wednesday and Hull in Reading's opening two Championship games.

Tyler Blackett remains out, while Jordan Obita stepped up his comeback on Monday but looks unlikely to feature. Elsewhere, Danny Loader may start after a failed deadline day move to Wolves with Puscas, Rafael and Ovie Ejaria expected to be in contention for starting berths. Liam Moore and Matt Miazga should continue their partnership at centre-half.

Cardiff bounce back from opening defeat

Cardiff opened their Championship account with a surprise 3-2 reverse at Wigan a fortnight ago, but the Bluebirds pocketed their first victory of 2019/20 with a dramatic 2-1 win over newly-promoted Luton last weekend. Isaac Vassell's stoppage-time goal minutes after coming on for his debut secured maximum points for Neil Warnock's troops.

Luton were allowed to control possession for long periods, although it was Cardiff that created the vast majority of scoring opportunities thanks to their pace on the break and aerial prowess from set-pieces. The Welsh club's direct approach paid dividends when towering centre-back Aden Flint broke the deadlock, before Vassell's late intervention.

Six of Cardiff's starting XI were taller than six feet and Warnock's imposing outfit will again look to utilise dead-ball situations, as well as the speed of Junior Hoilett and Josh Murphy on the counter. The veteran boss is chasing a record ninth promotion and an instant return to the Premier League and isn't expected to make major changes for Sunday's showdown.

Bluebirds favourites in Berkshire

Reading have lost just once in their most recent eight meetings with Cardiff - winning on three occasions - although four of those fixtures have ended all-square, with a repeat available to support at 3.2011/5 this weekend. Indeed, three of the past four head-to-heads paid out for draw backers at the Madjeski Stadium.

Under Jose Gomes' stewardship, Reading 3.55 have returned W5-D4-L3 at the MadStad, although the Royals failed to score in their three fixtures against top-six finishers during that sample last term (W0-D2-L1). The Berkshire boys have tended to prioritise defence during the Portuguese' boss' reign but the influx of new signings could see an alternative approach.

Cardiff 2.245/4 registered W11-D5-L8 under Neil Warnock's watch during their promotion-winning Championship campaign of 2017/18. That sample included only four losses in 17 when excluding top-seven opponents; with many suspecting the Bluebirds could challenge the top-six again, a similarly strong performance is anticipated from the capital club.

Back both sides to oblige

Reading and Cardiff have delivered profitable punts in both the Both Teams To Score and Over 2.5 Goals columns across their first two league fixtures of 2019/20. With neither side yet to stumble across the magic defensive formula, plus the potential attacking armoury on show from each club, the prospect of a repeat on Sunday afternoon is encouraging.

Early Expected Goals (xG) figures, plus alternative data metrics, also point towards a potential high-scoring showdown and so punters are advised to take the relatively generous offering of 1.865/6 in the Both Teams To Score column here.