Reading vs Burton Albion: Match Preview
Can the Royals keep Burton down their bad run of games or will the time come for Burton’s first league win of the season?
Burton Albion are one of two teams to have not yet won a game this season, with four draws and three losses from seven games so far, most recently suffering a 3-0 defeat to Blackpool.
On the contrary, Reading have just come off the back of a great win against Huddersfield Town and are looking to carry that performance into this match.
In this preview I will talk about ex-players from both teams who you may not have known have gone on to do well, players who have played for both, and my predicted lineup.
What? League One, matchday eight
Season? 2024/25
Who? Burton Albion
Where? Select Car Leasing Stadium
When? Tuesday October 1
Time? 20:00
Opposition manager? Mark Robinson
Players who have had great careers after leaving Reading/Burton
Michael Olise made his debut for Reading in 2019 and played 67 games for the club, scoring seven goals. He’s become one of the academy’s greatest-ever products following his move to Bayern Munich in the summer for around £60 million.
Before joining Bayern Munich, he played 82 games for Crystal Palace after joining for around £8 million in 2021. In this time he scored 14 goals, with some of them being his trademark ‘cut in from the right and shoot a screamer from outside the box’.
But currently the money that Reading are getting following the sale to Bayern Munich due to a sell-on clause is running the club. With all that’s happening at Reading at the moment, it’s the transfer money from an ex-player that is keeping us alive and for that I thank him.
Jamie Bynoe-Gittens never played a game for the Reading first team but was part of the academy from 2013 to 2018. He then moved to the Manchester City academy before signing for Borussia Dortmund in 2020. He is currently a starter for the German team and has racked up six goals in 49 appearances for the team in yellow.
Jackson Irvine played for various clubs such as Ross County, Celtic and Hull City. But in 2016 he signed for Burton Albion for their first-ever season in the Championship. He was their top goal scorer that season with 11 goals in 44 appearances, helping them survive in 20th that season.
He is now the captain of the recently promoted Saint Pauli in the Bundesliga, managing 15 goals in 93 appearances. He played in last weekend’s 3-0 win versus Freiburg, managing an assist to put them in 14th in the German league.
Jordan Pickford is arguably the more successful player on this list, managing to play constant Premier League football for Everton, being England’s number one, and reaching a world cup semi-final, a world cup quarter-final, and two Euros finals.
On loan from Sunderland in 2013, Jordan Pickford made 12 appearances for Burton Albion in the second half of the season. He has now made 261 appearances for Everton and 70 appearances for England and has become up there as one of England’s best ever goalkeepers.
Players who have played for both
Stephen Quinn made 34 appearances for Reading between 2015 and 2018, scoring one goal for the club. That one goal came when he captained the club in a 2-1 win after the Royals went down to 10 men against Brighton & Hove Albion in the League Cup to reach the round of 16 in 2016.
He then signed for Burton Albion in 2018 and made 93 appearances for the club, scoring two goals.
Hope Akpan joined the Royals in 2013 and played 58 games, scoring one goal for the club. He didn’t become the star we all thought he was going to be but did get nominated in the PFA’s player in the community award after taking part in community work while at the club.
Akpan played one season for Burton Albion in 2017/18, making 25 appearances and scoring two goals. He is now playing non-league football for Widnes.
My lineup
David Button impressed me this weekend against Huddersfield and was one of the main reasons we did come away with the victory, so I expect him to keep his place against Burton.
It looks like Kelvin Abrefa has been cleared and is ready for action again this Tuesday. However, I feel that due to the exclusion of Andre Garcia from the under-21s fixture, it means there is a possibility he could be included in the game against Burton.
Therefore I am predicting that Ruben Selles will start Michael Craig, Amadou Mbengue, Tyler Bindon and Andre Garcia in the back line. This gives the youngster an opportunity to show what I think of him as I think he will thrive to achieve greatness. (Eventually as good as Olise!).
Reports last week suggested that Charlie Savage wasn’t happy with Selles for not using him in the defeat at Bolton Wanderers and that made him quite unhappy. I feel he will play the upcoming game, giving Lewis Wing a well-deserved rest, meaning the midfield three will be Ben Elliott, Savage and Harvey Knibbs.
Another average performance from Chem Campbell could also see a change in the forward line with Selles potentially opting for Adrian Akande on the right-hand side. That would mean the Royals’ forward line consisting of Akande, Sam Smith and Kelvin Ehibatiomhan.
Score prediction: 3-1 Royals
Come on you Royals!!