Blackpool vs Reading prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2022-07-29 14:00.
Blackpool have failed to win on opening day in their last two league campaigns (D1, L1), so new boss Michael Appleton knows a win against Reading will be the ideal way to kickstart his second-stint at the club. The 46-year-old will surely feel like he’s got unfinished business at Bloomfield Road given his first spell in charge lasted just 11 league games, resulting in him landing the unenviable title of becoming the shortest-serving Blackpool manager in history!
Appleton has returned following Blackpool’s highest league finish in nine years after they finished 16th last season, so the mood in the camp should be high. The Seasiders will hope to build on that after landing Manchester City’s Lewis Fiorini and Liverpool’s Rhys Williams on loan, as well as signing Dominic Thompson from Brentford permanently. Blackpool fans will now hope those reinforcements can help shore up a defence that conceded seven unanswered goals in their final two league games of 2021/22, and a further four on Sunday in their final home friendly against Everton (L 4-2).
Visiting boss Paul Ince has been just as busy adding to his side, with Reading recruiting no less than seven new faces so far. That no doubt comes in response to finishing just one place above the drop zone last season, representing their worst league finish in 20 years!
A leaky defence was one of Reading’s biggest problems and they finished without a single clean sheet across their final eight matches of 2021/22. Ince will have surely been working on improving that issue over summer, and Blackpool will be a good test of whether they have improved as Reading conceded seven times across both H2Hs last season (L2).
Players to watch: Shayne Lavery scored in Blackpool’s 4-1 H2H victory here last season, and netted in their opening game of that campaign – both goals arrived after the 80th minute! Reading’s Yakou MĂ©ĂŻtĂ© missed a large portion of last campaign through injury and failed to score in any of his 13 league appearances. Fit again and in form, he’s coming into this season after netting three goals across his last three friendly games.
Hot stat: Reading have lost four of their last five Championship openers (W1), conceding 2+ goals in each defeat.