Brighton U21 vs Reading
EFL Trophy
Tuesday
9th January 2024
Amex Stadium
The most comprehensive preview, detailed analysis and reliable predictions of the EFL Trophy fixture between Brighton U21 and Reading.
Brighton U21 vs Reading: Preview
Brighton U21 form analysis
Brighton’s U21s have endured inconsistent Premier League 2 form recently. They started positively on September 29th by winning a seven-goal thriller 3-2 away at Derby but were then hammered 6-3 by Arsenal on October 29th despite scoring three consolation goals. Brighton responded well by defeating Aston Villa U21s 2-1 at home on November 4th thanks to goals from Seb Chouchane and Roco McConville building a lead before conceding late on.
However, this good form quickly dissipated; on December 2nd Brighton were comfortably beaten 3-0 away at Fulham, unable to respond once going behind in the first half. Most recently on December 16th, Brighton ground out a steady 0-0 home draw with Leicester City U21s. Overall, while Brighton’s U21s have shown they can pose an attacking threat, defensive issues and game management problems have prevented them from finding consistency during this run. Addressing these flaws could help spark better form.
Reading form analysis
Reading have produced inconsistent results in their recent League One campaign. They started with a disappointing 1-1 away draw at Lincoln on December 16th, equalizing through Hamzad Knibbs despite gifting Lincoln the lead via an early Nathan Abbey own goal. Reading responded by beating promotion hopefuls Wigan 2-0 at home a week later courtesy of late first half goals from Ovie Azeez and Shaneil Smith.
However, defensive issues soon surfaced again; Reading twice blew leads in successive away 2-2 draws at Peterborough and Cheltenham, squandering winning positions after equalizers from Smith and Azeez. Most recently at home on New Year’s Day, Reading held on despite more defensive troubles to beat Exeter 3-2, racing into a 2-0 first half lead through Harry Knibbs and a deflected own goal before again needing Azeez to bag a late winner after surrendering the lead twice more due to sloppy goals conceded. Overall, Reading have shown attacking quality lately but remain too prone to dropping leads due to defensive switches offs.
