Barnsley vs Reading
2 April 1730hrs
Football – England – Championship
Pick Barnsley
Bookmaker Betway
Odds: 13/10 odds taken 2000 GMT, Monday 29 March
It’s a huge game in the context of the Championship playoffs as fifth place Barnsley take on Reading – who sit directly below them, just two points behind.
Table of Contents
Barnsley Preview – Can Mariners get back to winning ways as they look to preserve their lead at the top?
Barnsley had to win their last two games of the last campaign in order to survive and had to wait until the 93rd minute in their final game against Nottingham Forest to get the decisive goal which ultimately kept them up. Much has changed since then with Valerin Ismael taking over from the departing Gerhard Struber. And it has resulted in a significant turnaround in fortune.
Ismael – who has previously been in charge of LASK and Wolfsburg – has led Barnsley from being almost relegated to challenging for promotion. The Tykes are in fifth spot and now five points clear of Bournemouth who are immediately below the playoff zone, albeit they have played one game more at this point.
With nine games remaining each and every game is going to have an impact on Barnsley’s hopes of finishing in the top six. They come into this game on the back of a surprise defeat at home to Sheffield Wednesday in a Yorkshire derby just before the international break. That brought an end to a 10 match unbeaten run, where they had won nine of them.
Ismael will be looking to this game as the perfect opportunity to get back to winning ways and at the same time increasing their advantage over a playoff rival. In what appears to be a favourable run of fixtures to close the season, Barnsley only have one game against a team currently above them left.
Reading Preview – Will 2016 champions make it seven straight wins and move them above their opponents?
Reading have been in and around the playoff spots for much of the season and as we creep closer to the end of the campaign they will be desperate to ensure that all their consistency and hard work does not go to waste. The Royals failed to win any of their most recent three games prior to the international break following draws with Nottingham Forest and QPR, losing to Birmingham City. It will have been a long wait between then and now as a result.
It means their advantage over Bournemouth is just three points and they too have played a game extra.
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Veljko Paunovic – who is also in his first season in charge in the Championship – will know that the teams in behind are stacking up so will have to find some form before much longer, particularly in this sort of fixture.
Unlike their opponents, Reading look to have a much more difficult run-in to negotiate as they still have to play the top three between now and the end of the season.
Barnsley vs Reading Betting Advice
It has all the makings of being a great Good Friday clash between two teams who would have been amongst the surprise contenders when determining potential top six finishers at the beginning of the season.
It was Reading who took the spoils in the first meeting between the clubs, winning 2-0 way back in September. Barnsley actually have a really poor record in this fixture with their last win coming seven years ago.
Key Facts – Barnsley vs Reading Betting Tip
- Leaders Central Coast have taken just one point from their last three games
- Adelaide have won their last six games and can go top with a win as well as having a game in hand
- The teams met back in February and it was a 3-2 win for Adelaide – their 11th win in 13 against this opponent
This will not decide anything in terms of the playoff positions but it will have an impact and Barnsley look well placed to get back to winning ways. The international break might have come at the right time for them following their defeat. Now they have regrouped, they can go on and collect an important win.
Best Betting Odds for Barnsley vs Reading
