Coventry City vs Reading: Match Preview 2022/23

Reading will be desperate to secure another point or three this afternoon as they make the trip to Coventry City.

A draw against Luton Town was a good result on paper, but they need to get a win or two on the board before the end of the season to give themselves the best chance of surviving. Performances under Noel Hunt have been promising but points are the priority at this point.

The visitors come up against a Coventry side who are still in the play-off mix at this stage and will be extremely keen to come out on top this afternoon. The Sky Blues are probably the favourites coming into this clash - but can they capitalise on their home advantage?

Here’s your match preview!

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What? Championship Matchday 44

Season? 2022/23

Who? Coventry City

Where? Coventry Building Society Arena

When? Saturday 22nd April

Time? 3pm

Opposition Manager? Mark Robins

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Pre-Match Thoughts

Coventry City:

Congratulations to the Sky Blues for their takeover because it’s clear a change was needed.

With Doug King now at the helm, they can look forward to a much brighter future. Stability off the pitch can only lead to success on it, but the next few months could be vital for them. If they win promotion, they can probably afford to keep the likes of Viktor Gyokeres, Gus Hamer and Callum O’Hare but if they don’t, they may need to cash in on at least one or two of them.

If that money can be reinvested wisely though, they could be very successful in the future. Regardless of what happens between now and the end of this term, things look promising for the Midlands side.

Reading:

Ahhh, Wednesday was so frustrating! Going from pure joy to despair in a matter of seconds when Andy Carroll was sent off, that was probably one of the lowest moments of the season so far. Carroll did let us down on the night but he’s been a decent goalscorer this term and it’s time to move on from the incident now. It’s just a shame we won’t have him available for the next couple of games.

Today’s match could be absolutely crucial considering many results didn’t go our way in midweek. However, we’re still in the race for survival at this stage and that’s one good thing I guess. We can’t rely on others to keep losing though - let’s keep picking up the points and see where it takes us.

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The Last Meeting

Reading 1-0 Coventry City

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My Lineup

Starting XI: Lumley, Guinness-Walker, Sarr, Holmes, Yiadom, Fornah, Casadei, Hendrick, Camara, Azeez, Joao

I’ve gone with a change of formation following Andy Carroll’s red card, with an extra man in midfield potentially paying dividends for us.

Joe Lumley starts between the sticks once more and the back four remains the same, with the quartet performing reasonably well against Luton.

Tyrese Fornah returns to a central position alongside Cesare Casadei and Jeff Hendrick, allowing Mamadi Camara to come into the starting 11. Femi Azeez starts on the right again if he’s 100% fit - and Lucas Joao has to be up top as the Royals’ main goalscoring threat.

I could understand it if Fornah starts on the left again though - because he’s a good defensive option to have when Guinness-Walker needs to be protected.

Score Prediction: Coventry City 1-0 Reading

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Elsewhere

Here are my predictions for this round of Championship fixtures:

Today -

Birmingham City 2-1 Blackpool

Bristol City 1-2 Rotherham United

Burnley 1-0 Queens Park Rangers

Cardiff City 2-1 Stoke City

Hull City 2-0 Watford

Norwich City 1-3 Swansea City

Wigan Athletic 1-0 Millwall

Preston North End 2-2 Blackburn Rovers

Tomorrow -

West Brom 1-0 Sunderland

Monday -

Luton Town 1-2 Middlesbrough