Our prediction for this Championship match:
Reading
Match Time & Date:
03/08/2018
03:00 PM
Prediction: 0-2
Derby County
Reading play host to Derby County at their Madejski Stadium in the opening match of the 2018/2019 Championship campaign. The Royals failed to impress in the 2017/2018 season, but they eventually managed to avoid relegation to the League One. Reading have been struggling in pre-season and it has to be noted that they suffered a heavy 4-0 loss to Crystal Palace in their last warm-up game. Derby, on the other hand, are determined to return to the Premier League and their performances in pre-season are certainly giving fans a reason for optimism. The Rams did well to beat the likes of Southampton, Coventry City and Wolves in previous three friendly games, meaning that they are brimming with confidence ahead of Friday’s football match. Tom Lawrence has been in a fine form in pre-season and we predict that he is going to prove a handful for the opposition defenders.
Highlighted Player (Chris Martin):
Chris Martin is a powerful striker who was eligible to play for either England or Scotland national team. His father was born in Glasgow, but Martin played four games for England U19 team. However, in May 2014 he was called in the senior Scotland squad and he made his debut in a 2-2 draw with Nigeria.
Chris Martin netted his first goal for the Scotland national team in a 6-0 win over Gibraltar in the Euro 2016 qualifiers. The 185-cm-tall attacker plays for Derby County, but he began his senior career at Norwich City. He played 102 league games for the Canaries and he scored 25 goals for the club during his seven-year spell at Carrow Road. It has to be noted that he played for the likes of Luton Town, Crystal Palace, Swindon Town on loan before joining Derby County in 2013.
Martin is well known for his brilliant aerial skills and he often scores headers. The Scottish footballer scored 14 goals for the Rams in the 2015/2016 Championship campaign.
Highlighted Team (Derby County):
Derby County is one of the 12 founder members of the Football League. However, nowadays the Rams compete in the Championship and they play their home matches at Pride Park Stadium. Derby County have won the two trophies in the English top flight (1971/1972, 1974/1975), with the team lifting the FA Cup trophy just after the World War II (1946).
Derby’s main rivals are Nottingham Forest, Leicester City and Leeds United, but the rivalry between Forest and Derby is regarded as the biggest one.
The two teams take on each other in the East Midlands derby. The colour of Derby’s shirts is white, whilst their shorts are black. It has to be noted that the club was founded in 1884 by William Morley. The Rams competed in the European competitions four times, but they did not record a notable result in the European Cups. The club’s chairman is Mel Morris.
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