A genuine relegation six-pointer will be played at Madejski Stadium, where both Reading and Aston Villa will be searching for points much needed for survival. The Royals aim to put an end to their four-match losing run, whereas the Villans will try to break away from the relegation zone by winning this match.

Le Fondre only scoring from the bench

Reading were always going to have an uphill task of surviving this season after the club failed to properly reinforce the squad over the summer, but they have done pretty well to stay very close to safety with just 10 games to go. The Royals well deserved their points in some games, while being pretty fortunate in others, but their latest run of results is threatening to ruin their season. While defeats to Stoke and Everton away were hardly surprising, everybody at the club was worried by the 3-0 home loss to relegation rivals Wigan, especially as the Latics were going through a very rough stage at the moment. It appears the lack of confidence is really affecting the players at the moment, and with no Pavel Pogrebnyak up front, no wonder the Royals are struggling for goals. Adam Le Fondre may have scored 10 goals this season, but most of these were scored when he came off the bench, and he does appear to be struggling when he is in the starting line-up.

Pavel Pogrebnyak continues to miss out through suspension, whereas Jason Roberts and Alex McCarthy are not yet ready to return. Adam Federici, Jimmy Kebe and Danny Guthrie are all injury doubts.

Very important match for Villa

Aston Villa may be sitting in the bottom three at the moment, just one point clear of their next opponents, but Paul Lambert’s side are showing a lot of promise at the moment. Despite the numerous selection problems, the Villans are playing really well at the moment, making life difficult even for Premiership’s strongest sides. Narrow defeats to Arsenal and City, a 3-3 draw at Goodison Park and home victory over West Ham in last four games are enough to suggest the team are close to their top form, and they now have a unique chance to make a giant step towards the Premier League survival. With Reading clearly inferior to them and largely struggling for form, Aston Villa players can be forgiven for feeling optimistic ahead of the clash at Madejski Stadium. The attacking trio of Agbonlahor, Benteke and Weimann should be able to make a difference against one of the weakest defences in the league.

Fabien Delph misses out through suspension, while Marc Albrighton, Greg Gardner and Stiliyan Petrov are all unavailable. Darren Bent, Ron Vlaar and Richard Dunne are injury doubts.

Verdict

Online bookmakers seem to think Reading are the favourites here, but I beg to differ. It is Aston Villa who are playing better football at the moment, and the Villans look much closer to winning at Madejski. Also, there is a good chance we will see quite a few goals in what should be a non-characteristic relegation six-pointer.

Top pick: Aston Villa Draw no bet   2.20 (6/5) @ Stan James

Alternative pick 1: Over 2.5 goals   1.83 (5/6) @ SkyBet

Alternative pick 2: Both teams to score   1.67 (2/3) @ Ladbrokes

Win Tickets to The CL Final at Wembley!

888 are giving you the chance to WIN tickets to the Champions League Final at Wembley!
You could win:
• 2 Tickets to Champions League Final, in London!
• 1 night accommodation in a 4* hotel in London!
• £400 spending money!

The 2nd and 3rd placed finishers will receive FREE BETS of £500 and £250 respectively.

In order to be eligible, you simply have to:
1. Register – to our 5 LIVE promotion before May 12th.
2. Bet – Place a multiple bet of at least £/€/$5.

Register Now