Moving closer to the top sides is the task when these two mid-table sides fight it out. Both are trying to better their league position, Reading in 14th and Middlesbrough in 16th place.
- Reading have the most conceded goals (18) in Championship
- Reading have scored at least twice as many goals at home as Middlesbrough have scored away.
Reading and Middlesbrough should both be in good shape for this meeting, as there's been enough days for both of them to train and rest since their last matches.
Reading form and stats
The Championship statistics playing at home this season for Reading are 2-1-1 (wins-draws-losses).
Happy days for Reading in their previous game, a Championship match away at Fulham (placed 2nd) that ended with a 2-1 victory. Midfield player Ovie Ejaria got a match rating of 8.24 in that game, the max score being 10. Ejaria scored two goals, hit one key pass and dribled passed the opponent 2 of 4 times.
Before that game, the 3-1 home victory against Peterborough United.This is expected to be a close game, with Reading perhaps considered small favourites due to their home advantage. Looking back at earlier matches similar to this one (expected to be close with Reading as a small favourite), we find 15 games. Reading has won eight of these, drawn two and lost five.
Reading are traveling soon after this match as the Championship match at Derby County awaits in four days.
Reading are an "over 2,5 goals" team alone here at Madejski Stadium in their league games, having scored an impressive 10 goals in 4 matches. Goals are flowing in at the wrong end for Reading with 8 goals conceded in these matches.
Middlesbrough form and stats
The story so far for the visiting team on their Championship travels is 1 win, 2 draws and 1 defeat.
Middlesbrough might have something to prove in this game as they lost at home in their previous match. Blackpool proved too strong as Middlesbrough slumped to a 1-2 defeat in front of their own fans at Riverside Stadium. Midfielder Marcus Tavernier was the best performer of that match, with a rating of 7.85. Tavernier scored one goal, hit one key pass and dribled passed the opponent 2 of 3 times.
Preceding that game was the away victory against Nottingham Forest with the score of 2-0.As mentioned above, this is an open game with no clear favourite. We have found 15 similar matches played by Middlesbrough in our archives, and the results are: seven wins for Middlesbrough, four draws and four defeats.
After this away game Middlesbrough return home for a Championship game against Sheffield United. That game is only three sleeps after this.
Many goals are not expected from the visiting Middlesbrough as they have only managed to score 3 times from 4 away games in the league. It's not easy to score on Middlesbrough as they have only conceded 3 goals from these away games.
Head 2 Head
Head-to-head totals (for the former ten meetings): Reading won one game, one match ended in a draw and Middlesbrough have eight wins. Over 2,5 goals / under 2,5 goals: four / sixTop Goalscorers
  J. Swift 7 goals |  L. Moore 2 goals |  O. Ejaria 2 goals |
Reading missing players
Middlesbrough missing players
| Reading | Middlesbrough | ||||||
| Total | Home | vs | Statistics | Stat | vs | Away | Total |
| 8 | 4 | 1 | Played | P | 1 | 4 | 8 |
| 3 | 2 | 0 | Won | W | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | Drew | D | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 4 | 1 | 1 | Lost | L | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 15 | 10 | 2 | Scored | S | 0 | 3 | 9 |
| 18 | 8 | 3 | Conceded | C | 0 | 3 | 10 |
| 100% | 100% | 100% | Over 0.5 | O 0.5 | 0% | 75% | 88% |
| 100% | 100% | 100% | Over 1.5 | O 1.5 | 0% | 75% | 88% |
| 100% | 100% | 100% | Over 2.5 | O 2.5 | 0% | 0% | 38% |
| 62% | 75% | 100% | Over 3.5 | O 3.5 | 0% | 0% | 12% |
| 38% | 50% | 100% | Over 4.5 | O 4.5 | 0% | 0% | 12% |
| 88% | 100% | 100% | BTTS | BTTS | 0% | 25% | 62% |
| 0% | 0% | 0% | Clean Sheets | C S | 100% | 50% | 25% |
| 12% | 0% | 0% | Failed to Score | F T | 100% | 50% | 25% |
| 3.4 | 3.2 | 5 | Corners for (avg) | C F | 3 | 4.8 | 5.5 |
| 6.9 | 6.2 | 2 | Corners against (avg) | C A | 7 | 6 | 4.6 |
| 1.9 | 1.2 | 0 | Yellow cards (avg) | Y C | 4 | 3.8 | 2.6 |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | Red cards | R C | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 10.5 | 11.8 | 11 | Shots (avg) | S ( | 11 | 9.8 | 10.8 |
| 3.5 | 4 | 3 | Shots on Target (avg) | S O | 4 | 3.8 | 4.1 |
| 54% | 62% | 67% | Goal Efficiency | G E | 0% | 20% | 27% |
- All of Reading's matches have had more than 2,5 goals.
- Reading have conceded at least twice as many corners as they have won.
- Reading have failed to keep a clean sheet in all their matches.
- Reading have scored at least twice as many goals at home as Middlesbrough have scored away.
- Reading have scored in all their home matches so far.
- Reading have the fewest clean sheets (0) in Championship
- Reading have the fewest matches under the total-line (0) in Championship
- Reading have the most conceded goals (18) in Championship
- Reading have the most matches over the total-line (7) in Championship
- Reading have the most scored goals (10) at home in Championship
- Reading haven’t played a single 0-0 game.
| Total | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||||
| # | Team | MP | W | D | L | F | A | MP | W | D | L | F | A | MP | W | D | L | F | A | +/- | P |
| 1 | AFC Bournemouth | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 18 |
| 2 | Fulham | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 18 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 4 | 11 | 16 |
| 3 | West Bromwich Albion | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 16 |
| 4 | Coventry City | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 16 |
| 5 | Stoke City | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 14 |
| 6 | Blackburn Rovers | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 11 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 13 |
| 7 | Huddersfield Town | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 13 |
| 8 | Queens Park Rangers | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 16 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 12 |
| 9 | Bristol City | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 12 |
| 10 | Cardiff City | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 11 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 11 |
| 11 | Birmingham City | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 11 |
| 12 | Derby County | 8 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -1 | 10 |
| 13 | Luton Town | 8 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 12 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 6 | -2 | 10 |
| 14 | Reading | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 15 | 18 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 10 | -3 | 10 |
| 15 | Sheffield United | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 9 |
| 16 | Middlesbrough | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | -1 | 9 |
| 17 | Preston North End | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | -2 | 9 |
| 18 | Millwall | 8 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 5 | -2 | 8 |
| 19 | Barnsley | 8 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 7 | -3 | 8 |
| 20 | Blackpool | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 6 | -5 | 8 |
| 21 | Swansea City | 8 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 8 | -4 | 7 |
| 22 | Peterborough United | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 17 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 13 | -7 | 7 |
| 23 | Hull City | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | -7 | 5 |
| 24 | Nottingham Forest | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | -5 | 4 |
- Reading FC
- Reading Chronicle - (local newspaper)
- Hob Nob Anyone? - (supporter forum)
- Middlesbrough FC
- Teesside Live - (local newspaper)
- The Northern Echo - (local newspaper)