Our prediction for this Championship match:
Reading
Match Time & Date:
07/04/2023
16:00
Prediction: 1-0
Birmingham City
Reading and Birmingham City take on each other at Select Car Leasing Stadium in what is expected to be an interesting Championship game. The Royals are only one point clear of the relegation zone, meaning that Friday’s clash is of big importance for the home side. Lucas Joao is pushing for a start after scoring as a substitute in a 1-1 draw with Bristol City, while Mamadou Loum is a banned for the match.
The Blues, on the other hand, aim to build on back-to-back wins over QPR and Blackburn. Birmingham City are safe for now, and seeing that the hosts want this win more than the visitors, we are tempted to put our money on Paul Ince’s troops. Experienced attacker Troy Deeney is closing in on a return, while all Gary Gardner, Dion Sanderson, Josh Williams, Tate Campbell, and Przemyslaw Placheta remain in the recovery room.
Highlighted Player (Shane Long):
Shane Long is an Irish international striker who has so far made over 60 appearances for the Republic of Ireland national team, scoring more than 15 goals in the process. The forward began his professional career at Cork City, but only made one league appearance for the club ahead of the switch to Reading, where he would go on to spend next seven years.
During that time, Long established himself as one of the best Irish strikers plying their trade in England, and also went on to represent West Bromwich Albion, Hull City and Southampton.
Despite not exactly boasting an enviable goalscoring record for a centre forward, Long was always held in high regard by both managers and his peers, with his incredible work rate and never-say-die attitude winning him plenty of admirers. Long will also go down as one of the most prolific scorers in the history of the Republic of Ireland national team, which he represented at the Euro 2012 and Euro 2016 finals.
Highlighted Team (Birmingham City):
Birmingham City are a club located in the city of Birmingham, England. Birmingham City were founded in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, but the club’s named was changed to Small Heath in 1888. 17 years later they became Birmingham and in 1943 they finally changed their name to Birmingham City.
The Blues welcome their rivals at St. Andrew’s, the stadium that was opened in 1906. Birmingham City compete in the Championship and their fiercest rivals are WBA and Aston Villa. The Blues made it to the FA Cup final twice, but they have yet to win the prestigious trophy. In 1931 they were beaten by their local rivals WBA in the title game (1-2), whilst in 1956 they were outplayed by Manchester City in the title game.
The colour of Birmingham’s home kit is blue with white stripe. Trevor Francis, Gil Merrick, Bob Latchford, Jeff Hall, Alex Govan, Joe Bradford and Christophe Dugarry are notable footballers who played for the St. Andrew’s outfit in the past.
Leyton Orient
Man City
Newcastle
Brighton
Chelsea
Real Madrid 
Atletico Madrid 
Blackburn Rovers
Wolves
Plymouth
Liverpool
