Croatia
Indonesia
Nigeria
South Africa

Readingvs.Bristol Rovers

sportsmole.co.uk, 24 October 2024, 06:00
Reading will try to claim a third consecutive victory when they welcome Bristol Rovers to the Select Car Stadium for Saturday's League One contest.

The visitors will be looking to secure a second straight win after getting the better of Shrewsbury Town in midweek.

Match preview

Reading are sitting outside the League One playoffs on goal difference after winning four of their last five matches.

The Royals claimed back-to-back home wins over Huddersfield Town and Burton Albion, before they fell to a narrow away defeat against Rotherham United.

After getting back on track with a 4-1 home win against Crawley Town, Reading went on to claim a narrow 2-1 win in Tuesday's away clash with Exeter City thanks to goals from Jayden Wareham and Michael Craig.

Reading boss Ruben Selles would have been particularly pleased with the midweek victory because it represented his side's first away league win since beating Bristol Rovers in April.

The Royals will now return to the Select Car Leasing Stadium where they have won five of their six home league matches to give them the third-best home record in the division.

Bristol Rovers are sitting three points behind Reading in 15th place after winning five, drawing one and losing six of their 12 league matches.

The Gas will be satisfied with their recent form, having bounced back from five defeats in six league games to win three of their last four matches in third tier.

Matt Taylor's side claimed back-to-back league wins over Charlton Athletic and Burton Albion, before they fell to a 3-1 defeat in their away meeting with Huddersfield Town.

Jamie Lindsay got Bristol Rovers back to winning ways in Tuesday's home game against Shrewsbury Town, with the midfielder scoring his second goal of the season to seal a narrow 1-0 win.

While they have turned a corner in recent games, the Gas still need to improve on their travels after losing four of their last five away games in League One.

Reading League One form:

L

W

W

L

W

W

Bristol Rovers League One form:

L

L

W

W

L

W

Bristol Rovers form (all competitions):

L

W

W

L

L

W

Team News

Reading are still unable to call upon long-term absentee Andy Yiadom, who is expected to be out until the new year with a knee injury.

Defender Jeriel Dorsett is closing in on a return from an ankle injury, but it remains to be seen whether he will be ready for Saturday's fixture.

Joel Pereira will retain his place between the posts after he returned from injury to make his fifth appearance of the season in Tuesday's win over Exeter.

As for the visitors, they remain without the services of defender Joel Senior and forward Chris Martin due to hamstring and leg injuries respectively.

Taylor has confirmed that Gatlin O'Donkor is still "a couple of weeks away" from returning to action after missing the last two matches through injury.

After playing over half an hour of Tuesday's win, Clinton Mola could come into the side to face his former club on Saturday.

Reading possible starting lineup:

Pereira; Craig, Bindon, Mbengue, Garcia; Knibbs, Wing, Savage; Akande, Ehibhatiomhan, Smith

Bristol Rovers possible starting lineup:

Griffiths; Moore, Taylor, Wilson, Mola; Lindsay, Conteh; Forde, Sotiriou, Sinclair; Omochere

We say: Reading 3-1 Bristol Rovers

Reading have won five of their six home league games this season, while Bristol Rovers have lost four of their last five away matches in the third tier.

Previews by email

Top News

22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool must take advantage of Tottenham Hotspur's considerable weaknesses and will be confident of victory on Sunday according to Reds expert David Lynch. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk The January transfer window is almost here and clubs around the UK and Europe are lining up moves as they look to take advantage of the opportunity to strengthen. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Union Saint-Jean vs. Monaco (Sunday, 1.45pm) On Sunday, in a David vs. Goliath affair, Union Saint-Jean can pull off one of the biggest upsets in Coupe de France history when they take on Monaco in the round of 64 at Stadium de Toulouse. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Gaziantep vs. Antalyaspor (Sunday, 10.30am) After their Turkish Cup victory in midweek, Gaziantep will now turn their attention to the Turkish Super Lig, with Antalyaspor visiting the Kalyon Stadyumu in Sunday's gameweek 17 encounter. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Santa Clara vs. Braga (Sunday, 5.00pm) Still reeling from crashing out of the Taca de Portugal, Santa Clara return to action in the Primeira Liga when they play host to Braga at the Estadio de Sao Miguel on Sunday. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Sparta vs. Ajax (Sunday, 11.15am) Ajax will be looking to end the year on a high when they travel to Sparta-Stadion Het Kasteel to take on a stuttering Sparta Rotterdam in the Eredivisie on Sunday. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Valencia vs. Alaves (Sunday, 1.00pm) Valencia will attempt to claim their third league when they welcome relegation rivals Alaves to Mestalla for Sunday's crucial La Liga encounter. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Roma vs. Parma (Sunday, 11.30am) Both struggling in the bottom half of the Serie A standings, Roma and Parma will hope for an early Christmas gift when they meet at Stadio Olimpico on Sunday. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk VfL Bochum vs. Heidenheim (Sunday, 2.30pm) In a relegation six-pointer, VfL Bochum will hope to defeat Heidenheim when they welcome them to Vonovia Ruhrstadion on Sunday in their 15th Bundesliga game of the season. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Dundee Utd vs. Celtic (Sunday, 12.00pm) Celtic, looking to maintain their unbeaten run in the Scottish Premiership, will travel to Tannadice Park on Sunday afternoon to face Dundee United. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Everton vs. Chelsea (Sunday, 2.00pm) Chelsea have the chance to go top of the Premier League for a brief time at least when they travel to Goodison Park to face Everton on Sunday. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk South American giants Palmeiras have reportedly sent an 'initial proposal' to Fulham for midfielder Andreas Pereira. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Nuno Espirito Santo will rival Arne Slot to win the Premier League's Manager of the Year award. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona want to sever ties with attacker Ansu Fati at the earliest opportunity in the January transfer window but the player is rebelling against a move, according to a report. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bayern Munich winger Leroy Sane has confirmed that he wants to remain at the Allianz Arena despite links with a return to the Premier League next year. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Serie A powerhouses Napoli have supposedly expressed an interest in signing Manchester United defender Harry Maguire on a free transfer next summer. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Alexander Sorloth scored a last-gasp winner as Atletico Madrid defeated Barcelona 2-1 at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys to go top of the La Liga table. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal attacker Bukayo Saka has been seen leaving Selhurst Park on crutches after sustaining a suspected hamstring problem in Saturday's 5-1 Premier League win over Crystal Palace. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal have written a new page of English football history thanks to their 5-1 destruction of London rivals Crystal Palace in Saturday's Premier League derby. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Round 17 of the 2024-25 Turkish Super Lig will be wrapped up with a clash between two sides from the Marmara region, as Istanbul Basaksehir welcome Kasimpasa to the Basaksehir Fatih Terim Stadyumu on Monday evening. 21 December 2024 talksport.com Leicester loan star Facundo Buonanotte wants to see a Tottenham forward join him so they can rekindle their partnership. 21 December 2024 talksport.com Arsenal's rivals will hate it but they can definitely claim London is red after their 5-1 win over Crystal Palace. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus continued his resurgence with two goals as the Gunners demolished Crystal Palace 5-1 in the Premier League at Selhurst Park. 21 December 2024 talksport.com Arsenal fans' worst fears have been realised with Bukayo Saka substituted early with a suspected hamstring injury. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal have suffered a worrying injury blow over Bukayo Saka, who appeared to pick up a hamstring problem in Saturday's Premier League clash with Crystal Palace. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona and Arsenal are reportedly both interested in signing Sevilla midfielder Lucien Agoume, with the France Under-21s international potentially leaving Estadio Ramon next summer. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid have welcomed Ferland Mendy back into their squad for Sunday's La Liga clash with Sevilla. 21 December 2024 talksport.com Mykhailo Mudryk will be sat ringside at Oleksandr Usyk's rematch with Tyson Fury days after being suspended from football. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Southampton have confirmed the appointment of former Roma head coach Ivan Juric as their new manager following the departure of Russell Martin. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Newcastle United's 4-0 victory against Ipswich Town on Saturday afternoon at Portman Road ensured that they followed up their qualification for the EFL Cup semi-final with an important three points in the Premier League.