Cardiff City held Reading to a goalless draw at Madejski with the Bluebirds now looking to win the game and make it to the Championship play-off final, where they could easily meat countrymen Swansea. The Royals missed a chance to earn the upper hand of the tie at home, but they are definitely not without chances in this game.

Great chance for Cardiff

Having missed out on the promotion to the Premiership by losing the play-off final to Blackpool last season, Cardiff showed a lot of character this season as they again mounted a serious promotion challenge. The Welsh side played really well under boss Dave Jones and they were very close to clinching automatic promotion, but a couple of unexpected slip-ups meant they would have to enter the play-offs. The Bluebirds did well in the semi-final first leg against Reading, even though key player Craig Bellamy picked up a hamstring injury midway through the first half, meaning they will have something build on when they host Reading at Cardiff City Stadium. The Bluebirds showed they are not just a good attacking side by keeping their fourth clean sheet in last seven games, and another good defensive performance should be enough for the win as we cannot really expect Reading to stop the Bluebirds from scoring in second successive game.

Craig Bellamy and keeper Tom Heaton should return to the starting line-up, meaning Dave Jones is likely to have fully fit squad to choose from.

Nothing is lost for Reading

Following Reading’s slow start to the season, the Royals were certainly not considered one of the candidates for promotion places, but Brian McDermott’s side kept raising their game as the season unfolded and they managed to hit top form in the crucial stage of the season. As a result they climbed to the play-off places and finished the league campaign in fifth place, which meant they would face Cardiff in the play-off semis. The Royals struggled to break the Welsh side at their Madejski and had to settle for a goalless draw, so they now face an uphill task at the Cardiff City Stadium. Reading have now failed to score in three of their last five games, showing that their scoring department isn’t working properly at the moment, and that could prove to be a big problem against Cardiff. Reading strikers have scored just one goal in last five games, which is definitely a cause for concern.

Brian McDermott will have full squad to choose from and he is likely to stick to the side that started the first leg.

Verdict

There is no doubt that we will see another close encounter between two evenly matched sides, but I feel Cardiff are a bit closer to victory. The Bluebirds look to be in better form than their opponents and they will have a big support from the stands, which could eventually prove decisive.

Our prediction: Home win

Odds: 2.40 (7/5)

Bookmaker: William Hill