Steve McLaren and his Derby County team look to be obvious promotion candidates from the Championship. Only Bournemouth and Middlesbrough look like they could prevent Derby from actually winning the league.
In the meantime, Derby have a cup run to focus on. Following an uneventful 1-0 over Southport in the third round, the Rams dispatched Chesterfield with a more convincing 2-0 margin. Next up, Reading in the fifth round.
Comparatively, Reading are lower down in the Championship table than Derby. Having been relatively patchy at times, Reading’s form has improved to push them closer to the middle of the table. Even still, this game will be tough.
The reason why you should consider backing this Championship matchup in the FA Cup’s fifth round is that Derby have favourable odds in a number of markets, even to win outright.
Expectations
Reading is the team to start with in presenting the expectations. Based on away form, Reading have been very poor, whereas at home they have been much better. In fact, Reading concede an average of approximately two goals for every game they play away.
Conceding heavily away is not likely to breed success against a Derby team with one of the Championship’s highest goal scorers in Chris Martin, who has netted 16 league goals. Provided that the Derby midfield can create a few chances, goals are likely to come for the Rams.
Match Tips
Tip one: Derby to win, best odds 1.67
Tip two: Derby to win to nil, best odds 2.75
Some sites are willing to offer in the region of 1.60 on a Derby win, which is surprising because of how likely the Rams are to emerge victorious in 90 minutes. Don’t forget that Reading are very poor away from home, often conceding heavily, which will clearly work to Derby’s favour.
To enhance your Derby win, add on that they will win to nil. Going for over/under goals is a risk, as Derby could sit back if they go 2-0 up against Reading. In general, cup games don’t have as many goals as league encounters, so adding on win to nil makes sense here.
