Finished
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Stoke - Reading
England Championship - bet365 Stadium
Prediction 1
Reading to win
2/1 (3.00)
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Odds from
Prediction 2
Under 2.5 goals
4/6 (1.67)
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Odds from
* Betting odds were correct at the time of publication but are subject to change.
Relegation threatened Stoke host Reading on Saturday January 21st in a Championship encounter.
Stoke vs Reading: Our top betting predictions
Reading come into this game as rank outsiders in the eyes of the bookmakers. Can they make the bookmakers eat their words by taking the three points? Find out with our Stoke vs Reading match preview with free tips, predictions and odds mentioned along the way.
Contents
Reading to bag the win
We kick off our predictions for this game by backing Reading to win and we cannot believe the odds! Sure, they've not been amazing lately but one defeat in their last five games along with two wins and two draws isn't a pathetic run of form. That becomes more clear when compared to the form Stoke have shown. The Potters have won just once in their last five games and even that was a cup win over lower league opposition. On top of not winning many, they've been losing a few too with three defeats in that time. That's not where the bad news stops for Stoke either; they've lost each of their last two head to head games with Reading as well!
A low scoring game
Our next prediction for this game sees us backing it to be a low scoring affair. Stoke have seen three of their last five home games fall under the 2.5 cut off – including each of their last two games whilst Reading have seen each of their last two – and three of their last five – away games also come up short against the 2.5 goal threshold. In addition to that, the head to head record is pretty comprehensive on the ‘under' betting option; three of the last four head to heads played at Stoke have ended without goals!
Here are the key stats & form guide for Stoke vs Reading
Head to Head
04/09/22
England Championship CHA
Reading
Stoke
2
1
05/04/22
England Championship CHA
Reading
Stoke
2
1
07/08/21
England Championship CHA
Stoke
Reading
3
2
06/02/21
England Championship CHA
Stoke
Reading
0
0
07/11/20
England Championship CHA
Reading
Stoke
0
3
Last Five - Stoke
03/05/25
England Championship CHA
Derby
Stoke
0
0
D
25/04/25
England Championship CHA
Sheff Utd
Stoke
2
0
L
21/04/25
England Championship CHA
Leeds
Stoke
6
0
L
18/04/25
England Championship CHA
Sheff Wed
Stoke
0
2
W
12/04/25
England Championship CHA
Cardiff
Stoke
0
1
W
Last Five - Reading
03/05/25
England League 1 League 1
Barnsley
Reading
4
2
L
26/04/25
England League 1 League 1
Bristol Rovers
Reading
0
2
W
21/04/25
England League 1 League 1
Mansfield
Reading
1
5
W
18/04/25
England League 1 League 1
Lincoln City
Reading
1
0
L
12/04/25
England League 1 League 1
Northampton
Reading
0
0
D
So, that gives you some insight to how the different bookmakers see the action unfolding. How though do the bookies odds translate into probabilities ahead of this game and how might that impact your view of our predictions? Let's find out.
Stoke odds: 10/11 (1.91) – 52%
Draw odds: 12/5 (3.40) – 29%
Reading odds: 3/1 (4.00) – 25%
Stoke arrive in this game as big favourites despite their lowly league position, which immediately gives you some suggestion that there is some serious value to be had on an away win. Another area where the bookmakers have strong views is in the total goals market. Here the odds for an under 2.5 goals bet are odds on. Both teams to score, however, sees both the ‘yes' and ‘no' options priced odds on.
Check out the predicted lineups ahead of Stoke vs Reading
Stoke
Stoke cannot find a winning combination this season and despite having just the one player – Sam Clucas – ruled out through injury for this match it is difficult to see them changing things up too much for the visit of Reading. That means they'll likely line up in a 3-4-1-2 formation with Nick Powell providing their main attacking threat.
Predicted lineup – Bonham, Fox, Jagielka, Souttar, Tymon, Baker, Thompson, Wilmot, Laurent, Brown, Powell
Reading
Reading find themselves arriving in this game on the back of a couple of decent results having beaten Watford and drawn with QPR in recent outings. With that in mind, we can see an unchanged XI being named. Liam Moore, Dejan Tetek and Tyrese Fornah are all unavailable for selection.
Predicted lineup – Lumley, Yiadom, Holmes, Sarr, Loum, Hoilett, Hendrick, Hutchinson, Baba, Ince, Carroll
Starting Lineups
Stoke
Reading
*Starting lineups are usually announced one hour prior to kick off.
Player to watch
Our player to watch for this match is Reading's Tom Ince. Ince has been the creative force in the Royals attack this year registering a total of nine goal contributions (six goals and three assists) in league games alone. In terms of recency, Ince has scored two goals across his last five games and is likely to be a constant threat in this game.
Check out the latest standings
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | +/- | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Leeds | 46 | 29 | 13 | 4 | 65 | 100 |
| 2 |  Burnley | 46 | 28 | 16 | 2 | 53 | 100 |
| 3 |  Sheff Utd | 46 | 28 | 8 | 10 | 27 | 90 |
| 4 |  Sunderland | 46 | 21 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 76 |
| 5 |  Coventry | 46 | 20 | 9 | 17 | 6 | 69 |
| 6 |  Bristol City | 46 | 17 | 17 | 12 | 4 | 68 |
| 7 |  Blackburn | 46 | 19 | 9 | 18 | 5 | 66 |
| 8 |  Millwall | 46 | 18 | 12 | 16 | -2 | 66 |
| 9 |  West Brom | 46 | 15 | 19 | 12 | 10 | 64 |
| 10 |  Middlesbrough | 46 | 18 | 10 | 18 | 8 | 64 |
| 11 |  Swansea | 46 | 17 | 10 | 19 | -5 | 61 |
| 12 |  Sheff Wed | 46 | 15 | 13 | 18 | -9 | 58 |
| 13 |  Norwich | 46 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 3 | 57 |
| 14 |  Watford | 46 | 16 | 9 | 21 | -8 | 57 |
| 15 |  QPR | 46 | 14 | 14 | 18 | -10 | 56 |
| 16 |  Portsmouth | 46 | 14 | 12 | 20 | -13 | 54 |
| 17 |  Oxford Utd | 46 | 13 | 14 | 19 | -16 | 53 |
| 18 | Stoke | 46 | 12 | 15 | 19 | -17 | 51 |
| 19 |  Derby | 46 | 13 | 11 | 22 | -8 | 50 |
| 20 |  Preston | 46 | 10 | 20 | 16 | -11 | 50 |
| 21 |  Hull | 46 | 12 | 13 | 21 | -10 | 49 |
| 22 |  Luton | 46 | 13 | 10 | 23 | -24 | 49 |
| 23 |  Plymouth | 46 | 11 | 13 | 22 | -37 | 46 |
| 24 |  Cardiff | 46 | 9 | 17 | 20 | -25 | 44 |
A quickfire FAQ on Stoke vs Reading
- Where is the match being played? – Bet365 Stadium
- Who do the bookmakers have as favourites? – Stoke
- What time does the match kick off? 15:00 GMT
