Huddersfield Town will be aiming to break back into the Championship playoffs when they travel to struggling Reading on Saturday afternoon.
The Terriers are currently seventh in the table and a point behind the top six, while the Royals are 21st and just three points above the relegation zone.
Match preview
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Following two seasons fighting at the wrong end of the Championship, Huddersfield are now bidding to make a return to the Premier League three years after relegation.
The Terriers are currently on an eight-match unbeaten streak in all competitions and have not lost in their last five games away from home.
Carlos Corberan's side had to settle for a 1-1 draw against Swansea City last weekend as Danel Sinani's early opener was cancelled out by Flynn Downes.
The West Yorkshire outfit eased to a 4-0 victory over Reading earlier in the campaign, which was their first win over the Royals in their last five meetings.
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Reading are in a state of disarray and look in severe danger of relegation; although they are three points above 22nd-placed Peterborough United, they have played two more games than Posh.
The Royals have won just two of their last 15 matches in all competitions and have suffered four consecutive losses – including a humiliating FA Cup exit against sixth tier Kidderminster Harriers and a 7-0 thrashing at the hands of Fulham.
Their latest defeat came on Wednesday night as Luton Town barely broke a sweat in a comfortable 2-0 win in Berkshire.
Veljko Paunovic's side are winless in their last eight matches at the Select Car Leasing Stadium, while no Championship side has conceded more goals at home this season than Reading (27).
Reports suggest that the Serbian will remain in charge for the rest of the campaign, but fan resentment is growing as the Royals' terrible form continues.
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Team News
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Reading full-back duo Andy Yiadom and Baba Rahman could come straight back into the team after exiting the Africa Cup of Nations with Ghana on Tuesday night.
Ovie Ejaria has missed the last eight matches due to a groin injury and Covid-19, but could be available for selection.
Lucas Joao will be pushing for a start upfront after appearing as a substitute in the last two games having recovered from a hip injury.
Huddersfield forward Sinani had to be substituted at half time last weekend due to a hamstring issue and is expected to miss Saturday's game.
In defence, Chelsea loanee Levi Colwill could return after missing the last two games with a knee problem.
Aaron Rowe and Duane Holmes may also be back in contention following periods of self-isolation, with one of the pair potentially replacing Sinani on the right wing.
Reading possible starting lineup:
Southwood; Yiadom, Holmes, Morrison, Rahman; Drinkwater, Laurent; Rinomhota, Swift, Dele-Bashiru; Joao
Huddersfield Town possible starting lineup:
Nicholls; Pearson, Lees, Colwill; Thomas, Hogg, O'Brien, Toffolo; Holmes, Ward, Koroma
We say: Reading 0-1 Huddersfield Town
Spirits are at rock-bottom at Reading at the moment and it is difficult to see anything other than another defeat for the Royals, particularly against a Huddersfield side who thrashed them earlier in the season and have proven hard to beat of late.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Huddersfield Town win with a probability of 47.41%. A win for Reading had a probability of 27.18% and a draw had a probability of 25.4%.
The most likely scoreline for a Huddersfield Town win was 0-1 with a probability of 10.96%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (9.31%) and 0-2 (8.45%). The likeliest Reading win was 1-0 (7.85%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.08%). The actual scoreline of 3-4 was predicted with a 0.4% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole and our data analysis both correctly predicted that Huddersfield Town would win this match.
