The Select Car Leasing Stadium is set to host a six-pointer in the race for League One promotion when Reading face off against Wycombe Wanderers on Saturday.
The Royals will be desperate to bounce back from defeat last time out, while the Chairboys will be looking for a win that could take them towards automatic promotion.
Match preview
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With their sights set on a spot in the playoffs, Noel Hunt‘s Reading will be ruing the fact that they have dropped nine points in the third tier since the end of February, with their mixed form of three wins and three draws in March culminating in a loss to start the month of April.
Last time out, the Royals were thoroughly beaten 3-0 by Steve Bruce‘s resurgent Blackpool side, and the boss will be disappointed that his team had their eleven-game unbeaten streak ended when they conceded three second-half goals.
Surrendering three points to the Seasiders has seen Hunt’s men fall out of the playoff spots and into seventh place ahead of this weekend’s clash, though they remain in contention and are only one point behind sixth-placed Bolton Wanderers with seven games to play.
That being said, given that Leyton Orient, Huddersfield Town, Bolton and now Blackpool are all within four points of a shot at promotion, Saturday’s hosts will need to keep pace this weekend, and they will take confidence from the fact that they are currently on an eight-game unbeaten run at the Select Car Leasing Stadium.
Should Reading manage to earn just their third win from their last six fixtures, they could end the matchday back in the playoff spots, and they may even create a four-point gap between themselves and Huddersfield should results elsewhere prove favourable.
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Meanwhile, Mike Dodds‘s Wycombe have also been in mixed form, winning two, drawing two and losing one of their last five League One matches ahead of this weekend.
Most recently, the Chairboys were held to a disappointing 0-0 stalemate by relegation-favourites Shrewsbury Town on Tuesday, and it would be fair to say that the promotion contenders were wasteful given that they produced 30 shots but failed to affect the scoreline.
That draw did not cause Dodds’s men to drop down from third in the table, though they missed out on the chance to gain ground on second-placed Wrexham in the race for automatic promotion after they dropped two points in their own game this week.
Saturday’s visitors may also regret not taking maximum points against the Shrews considering that they have been poor on the road in 2025, and having won only one of their five most recent away matches, fans may be anxious about their trip to Reading.
Three points would be enough to take Wycombe up to second should Wrexham lose their game this weekend, though defeat could give Charlton Athletic the chance to go level on points with the Chairboys, putting their push to go beyond the playoffs at risk.
Team News
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Reading will be desperate to put their loss against Blackpool behind them, and centre-backs Michael Stickland and Andy Yiadom will be keen to keep what would be their second clean sheet in the last month.
In the middle third, Lewis Wing should be joined by Harvey Knibbs and Charlie Savage, while Chem Campbell and Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan are likely to provide width.
Up top, Hunt will be hoping that striker Jayden Wareham can fire them back into the playoffs, though Billy Bodin could come off the bench to give the frontline some additional firepower late on.
As for Wycombe, top-scorer Richard Kone will be starting up front, with Cameron Humphreys and Alex Lowry supporting the striker from out wide.
Elsewhere, Xavier Simons should operate at the heart of midfield, while Garath McCleary roams the field just behind the forward line.
Reading possible starting lineup:
Pereira; Rushesha, Stickland, Yiadom, Abrefa; Knibbs, Wing, Savage; Campbell, Wareham, Ehibhatiomhan
Wycombe Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Norris; Grimmer, Bradley, Taylor; Pattenden, Simons, Leahy; McCleary; Humphreys, Kone, Lowry
We say: Reading 2-1 Wycombe Wanderers
Both sides have been in spells of mixed form that have put their ambitions in jeopardy over recent weeks, but with an eight-game unbeaten run at home, Reading are unlikely to lose this weekend.
Additionally, Wycombe have been poor away from their own turf, so expect the Royals to take all three points on Saturday as they look to climb back into the playoffs.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
