Reading vs Bristol Rovers: Match Preview 2023/24

Reading will be looking to carry the momentum they have into this clash as they take on Bristol Rovers this evening.

A win against MK Dons at the weekend was a morale booster - but this victory didn’t come as a massive surprise considering the Royals haven’t done too badly in cup competition this term.

They need to carry this through to tonight though - because it’s looking more and more likely that the Royals will be going down to League Two - even without the EFL charge in mind.

Looking ahead to this game, we have your match preview.

What? League One Matchday 15

Season? 2023/24

Who? Bristol Rovers

Where? Select Car Leasing Stadium

When? Tuesday 7th November

Time? 8pm

Opposition Manager? Andy Mangan (Caretaker)

The Royals

A win is a win and it’s good to be through to the next round of the FA Cup. We have certainly been rewarded with a good tie at Eastleigh, but we need to perform in the league.

I’ve been saying this for a while now - and it’s just such a shame that we haven’t managed to kick on and get ourselves out of the drop zone.

Some of the players we have are more than good enough to be at this level - and that’s why questions need to be asked of Ruben Selles.

If we lose tonight, the atmosphere could turn very toxic, so hopefully we can get three points on the board.

The Opponents

A 7-2 victory against Whitby Town will provide Rovers with plenty of confidence following their win against Northampton Town - and it will be interesting to see whether they can secure another victory.

Managerial speculation hasn’t seemed to have harmed them - but they need to continue this run of form if they want to get themselves anywhere near the play-offs at the end of this term.

They have some talented players at their disposal, especially in the attacking third, and the hosts will need to be wary of this tonight.

My Lineup

Starting XI: Button, Guinness-Walker, Abbey, Holmes, Bindon, Rushesha, Craig, Wing, Elliott, Knibbs, Smith

David Button comes back in for Joel Pereira, although the latter didn’t do too badly at the weekend.

If Selles wants to operate with two up top, he can do that, but having a bigger presence in midfielder will be crucial, so the 3-4-1-2 formation should work well.

Tom Holmes is now fit, so he could start in between Nelson Abbey and Tyler Bindon, with Abbey potentially able to help out Nesta Guinness-Walker defensively. Tivonge Rushesha, along with Guinness-Walker, can be a threat going forward and his energy could be valuable on the right-hand side.

In the middle, Michael Craig and Lewis Wing could be a useful duo, with the two managing to cope reasonably well in the first half at Charlton. Ben Elliott starts in front of the pair - and should be reasonably influential in a central position.

Up top, Harvey Knibbs and Sam Smith have worked together well in the past and could shine together once more, although there are other forward options for Selles to choose from.

Score Prediction: Reading 0-2 Bristol Rovers

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