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Kick Off: 1945, 16/05/2017
Stadium: Madejski Stadium
TV: Sky Sports 3
Reading showed great resolve to draw the first leg of their Championship play-off with Fulham and now look a value bet to progress at a shade of odds against.
Everything is still to play for after a 1-1 scoreline at Craven Cottage and this could go all the way to extra time and beyond.
But the Royals have an excellent home record, so we’re taking 51/50 they book a trip to Wembley in our Reading vs Fulham betting tips.
Reading were noted for playing good football during the regular season, but Jaap Stam’s side showed they can also get physical in the opening encounter with Fulham.
“These games aren’t just about ability and quality, it’s about your mind and dealing with the stress and playing with your heart,” said the Dutch boss. “A lot of things are different in these games than they are in the league.”
The Royals will be buoyed by having lost just twice at home this term, with Fulham and the other two play-off contenders among 16 teams to leave the Madejski Stadium empty handed.
Big games against Newcastle and Brighton were drawn, though, and 9/4 for another stalemate after normal time here stands out from the Reading vs Fulham odds.
Fulham will have mixed feelings about the first leg, when they missed the chance to take control of this tie but did well to recover from going behind and created the better chances overall.
“We showed we weren’t scared after their goal,” said Slavisa Jokanovic. “We had many chances but we weren’t clinical enough. We must be strong and believe in ourselves for the return leg.”
Only Newcastle won more away games than Fulham’s 12 road victories during the regular season, so the Cottagers do have the quality to handle this trip, especially after closing the campaign with victories at Norwich, Huddersfield and Sheffield Wednesday.
However, we just think this is too close to call and, with any side hitting the front likely to then sit back, 11/2 for another 1-1 stalemate takes the eye.
Additional stats
First-leg result:
FULHAM 1-1 READING – Tom Cairney & Jordan Obita
Head-to-head: Fulham 1-1 Reading, Reading 1-0 Fulham, Fulham 5-0 Reading, Reading 2-2 Fulham, Fulham 4-2 Reading.
