Reading vs Fulham
EFL Championship
Date: Friday, 30th December, 2016
Kick-off: 20:00 UK
Venue: Madejski Stadium, Reading.
Jaap Stam's side were thrashed 5-0 at Craven Cottage at the start of the month and will be looking to hit back when they welcome the Whites to Berkshire.
Midfielder John Swift made his return from an ankle injury when he came off the bench late on in the Boxing Day win over Norwich and will be pushing for a start.
Stam could yet rotate his side given the number of fixtures over the festive period, with the likes of George Evans, Jake Cooper and Callum Harriott waiting in the wings.
Fulham will continue to be without Chelsea loanee Tomas Kalas for the trip to the Madejski Stadium.
Kalas suffered a hamstring strain in the 2-2 draw with Derby on December 17, but could be back to face Brighton on Monday.
Loan striker Chris Martin will continue to spearhead Fulham's attack after scoring in the 2-0 victory at Ipswich.
Former England midfielder Scott Parker is still waiting for his first start since October.
Reading vs Fulham: Head-to-head stats
Fulham earned a 2-0 win when the teams met in the reverse leg at the Craven Cottage earlier this December 3rd. This extended their unbeaten run over Reading to 4 matches with 3 wins and a draw.
However, Reading are unbeaten at home in the last three matches against Fulham picking up a win and 2 draws. The last time these two met at the Madejski Stadium, it was a 2-2 draw.
Reading vs Fulham: Prediction
This is a clash between two strong sides who are looking solid in all departments of play. Their recent form is equally good and we can expect a fierce battle at the Madejski on Friday evening.
The factors that give Reading a slight edge is their home record against Fulham in past three season. Coupled this with their current home run of 5 consecutive wins, we can expect them to remain unbeaten here. But Fulham were beaten only twice away from home this season, which once again makes things more complicated. So it is pretty clear that the full-time result can go in favor of any of these team.
The only thing we can back here is the goal scoring record for both teams. Reading have scored in 11 of their 12 home games, while Fulham in 9 of their 11 away games this season. The last 7 matches between the two sides have seen at least 3 goals each. Therefore, both teams to score and over 2.5 goals is the best pick for this game.
Reading vs Fulham: Bet Tips
Both teams to score and Over 2.5 goals at 11/10 (2.10).
