Stoke City vs Reading Prediction: Reading has not won away game against Stoke in almost two decades

On Saturday, Reading will travel to the Bet365 Stadium to face off against Stoke City in a matchday 28 fixture in the EFL Championship. The hosts, who are looking to bounce back from their 3-1 defeat at Reading last weekend, currently sit in the 20th position with 30 points, four points above the drop zone. Reading, on the other hand, settled for a draw in their last match against QPR and currently sits in the 14th spot in the standings with 37 points from 27 games.

Stoke City's struggles in the Championship continue as they remain winless in their last four games, putting pressure on manager Alex Neil. However, they did manage to secure a victory in the FA Cup a fortnight ago, with own goals from Euan Murray and Rollin Menayese and a strike from Jacob Brown leading them to a 3-0 win at Hartlepool United and a spot in the fourth round, where they have a favourable home tie against Stevenage. Last weekend, they were defeated by Sheffield United's promotion charge, with a 3-1 loss at Bramall Lane. Despite a goal from Nick Powell, they currently sit 20th in the Championship, just four points above the relegation zone, with only 12 of their 30 points being collected at home.

Bonham; Souttar, Jagielka, Fox; Wilmot, Thompson, Baker, Tymon; Laurent; Brown, Gayle

Last Saturday's match between Reading and Queens Park Rangers had fans on the edge of their seats as the Royals looked set for a commanding win with a 2-0 lead at half-time thanks to a brace from midfielder Jeff Hendrick. But disappointment struck as Rangers attacker Tyler Roberts managed to score twice in the second half, resulting in a draw at the Select Car Leasing Stadium. A win would have propelled Reading into 10th place, but now they sit in 14th, four points behind the playoffs. While the gap to sixth-place West Bromwich Albion is not impossible to overcome, the Royals' record of one win from their last five Championship matches does not bode well for their chances of a top-six finish this season. Additionally, Reading struggles on their second-tier travels, having conceded a league-high 24 goals in 14 away matches this season.

Lumley; Yiadom, Holmes, Sarr; Hoilett, Ndiaye, Hendrick, Fornah, Baba; Ince, Joao

The wait for a win continues for Stoke City as they sit at the bottom half of the standings. Despite their struggles at home this season, the Potters will be looking to turn things around against Reading, who haven't won an away match against them in nearly two decades. But the visitors have also been struggling on their travels, making this match a true battle of two struggling teams. It could be a tense and cagey encounter, with neither team willing to give an inch. Although a win for either team is possible, we expect Stoke to have a better chance of winning. Expect a low scoring game with total goals less than 2.5.