Reading vs Hull prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2023-03-17 15:00.
Four Championship defeats in a row leaves Reading thanking their lucky stars that their solid early season form sees them a comfortable nine points above the drop zone. A 2-1 loss against high-flying Blackburn in midweek bookends that line of defeats and boss Paul Ince cited “individual mistakes” as the reason his side are suffering in the wake of their latest loss.
Winning against promotion-chasing Blackburn was always going to be a tall order, but a clash with a fellow mid-table side in Hull City feels a more winnable game for a Reading side who have lost back-to-back home league games. You’d have to go back to early 2022 for the last time the Royals lost three successive Championship matches on their own patch but an unbeaten run of four home H2Hs, albeit with only one win, means Reading will fancy they can stop the rot here.
In spite of a 3-1 defeat against Burnley in midweek, Hull boss Liam Rosenior insisted there were “so many positives” to take from the game. Hull do appear to be in safe hands with Rosenior, whose burgeoning pedigree as a coach has Tigers fans hopeful for what could be to come next season, but in the meantime the goal remains to simply finish as comfortably in mid-table as possible.
With nine games remaining, Hull should comfortably surpass the 51 points they clocked up last season, while a first top-half Championship finish since 2015/16 remains an outside possibility. Improving upon some dismal recent away form likely holds the key to a late assault on the table, with Hull travelling to Berkshire on the back of a five-match winless away league run (D2, L3).
Players to watch: Son of the boss, Tom Ince has seen four of his five Reading home league goals this season arrive after half-time. Hull’s Regan Slater has seen his three goals this season arrive on the road, scoring the game’s last goal in both those scoring appearances.
Hot streak: Reading are without a clean sheet in seven home league games.