The Voice - Match preview #19: Bradford City vs Reading Saturday 13th December 2025 3:00pm

EFL League One Fixture #19
Saturday 13th December 2025 15:00
Bradford City (2nd) vs Reading (17th)
University of Bradford Stadium (AKA Valley Parade)

Record:
Games Won: 22
Games Drawn: 19
Games Lost: 19

Last 5:
22 Mar 2003: Bradford City 0 – 1 Reading
04 Oct 2003: Reading 2 – 2 Bradford City
10 Apr 2004: Bradford City 2 – 1 Reading
07 Mar 2015: Bradford City 0 – 0 Reading [FA Cup]
16 Mar 2015: Reading 3 – 0 Bradford City [FA Cup]

Reading:
Reading’s inconsistent season continued on Tuesday evening with a surprise 2-1 defeat at home to Peterborough United – and although there are green shoots of recovery about the latter side as they fight manfully against the drop, Reading will have expected more. For Reading’s part, they now sit just 3 points above the relegation zone, albeit with a superior goal difference than those below them and having lost fewer games than any other side in the bottom half. Since Leam Richardson’s appointment on 28 October, Reading had won twice and drawn once prior to Luke Williams’ sides arrival at the Madejski Stadium.

Draws have been Reading’s most common result with a win-draw-loss record of 5-7-6 this season, matched by their middling GF-GA of 20-21 giving them a Goal Difference of -1. To their credit, having lost their opening 3 games of the league campaign, Reading have lost just 3 times in the 15 fixtures since, with only Cardiff City (2-1, A) and Barnsley (3-2, A) matching Peterborough’s midweek feat. Easy to beat? Not at all – but in an increasingly tightly-packed League One table, Leam Richardson’s Reading could earn themselves more breathing space – and a possible vault up the table – by converting some of those draws to wins.

As it is, Reading haven’t managed to win 2 league games in succession all season, and even amid a run of 4 straight home league ties, the Berkshire side were only able to alternate wins and draws before putting Blackpool to the sword 3-0 in a fine away win at Bloomfield Road recently. If Reading fans thought that meant Richardson had ushered in a new, more successful period, however, the aforementioned midweek defeat at home to Peterborough United may have brought them back down to earth.

Richardson blamed a poor start for the Peterborough defeat, with Jimmy-Jay Morgan giving the Posh the lead after just 2 minutes, but when Reading levelled on the hour mark through Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan, one would have been forgiven the home fans for thinking Reading might have gone on to win the game. Instead, Harry Leonard grabbed a 68th minute winner for Peterborough, boosting their own survival hopes by putting them just one point behind 20th place Exeter City. If the result felt like a setback for Reading, then the return of top scorer Jack Marriott (5) to fitness will be a huge boost.

Lewis Wing (4), Charlie Savage (2), Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan (2), and Kamari Doyle (2) are the other Reading players to have scored more than a single league goal so far this season, evidencing somewhat slim pickings for a team favoured to do so much better than they are. Those expectations cost former manager Noel Hunt his job, and Richardson will now have to deal with that same pressure leading into the January transfer window.

While Reading could still have a say at the top end of the table, especially citing their 7th place ranking in the xG table, together with becoming increasingly difficult to beat after such a poor start. If they can begin to turn the chances they are creating at a rate of 1.43 per game (they are currently converting at a rate of just 1.17), then the Royals might just start turning draws to wins and thus become a serious contender in the playoff chase. There are some positives for Richardson to work with, then, but a goalscorer will almost certainly be top of his wish list in the new transfer window – relying on Jack Marriott has proven difficult, the 31 year old having only made 6 league starts so far.

Reading 1 – 2 Peterborough United


Blackpool 0 – 3 Reading


Bradford City:
Bradford City’s midweek trip to Port Vale fell victim to heavy rainfall, denying City the chance to beat the bottom two sides back-to-back. Graham Alexander’s men were informed prior to setting off, however, and will have turned their attentions immediately to this Saturday’s home tie with Reading.

City may find themselves 15 places about Reading in the League One table, but that gap accounts for just 12 points. Like Reading, Bradford City have drawn 7 games, joint-most in the division along with Bolton Wanderers and Wigan Athletic. While neither side have played Wigan so far this season, both Bradford City and Reading were true-to-form as each drew with Bolton Wanderers in their respective fixtures (both away). City will now have to go one better if they’re to beat Reading, given both the form table and the fact both frequently draw games suggests a tie may be in the offing.

Bradford City’s best chance here will be to achieve a fourth successive league shut out. Do that, and another win via a single goal will seem ever more likely. Goals for the Bantams have dried up somewhat in recent weeks, and perhaps that has come alongside an increased focus on defensive responsibilities, but as shown against both Exeter City at home and Plymouth Argyle away, when you’re keeping regular clean sheets all it takes is a strike from a defender like Joe Wright or a penalty converted by the likes of Antoni Sarcevic to achieve what Reading will be so keen to do: eek out those all-important victories in the tightest of games.

Bradford City have definitely been better than Reading in that regard so far this season, but not necessarily recently; City have drawn 5 of their last 8 in League One, while Reading have drawn 5 of their last 10, the Bantams now tying games at an even faster clip than Saturday’s opposition. That will be food for thought for Graham Alexander as he looks to unearth a way to get the most out of a stuttering strikeforce and extend their stay in the automatic promotion spots.

Plymouth Argyle 0 – 1 Bradford City


Bradford City 1 – 0 Exeter City


Prediction:
The last time Reading played Bradford City was the 2014-15 season when Championship Reading defeated Phil Parkinson’s Bantams side in the FA Cup Quarter Finals – but it required a replay to get it done, with Reading eventually running out 3-0 winners. In terms of league action, the two sides haven’t met since way back in 2003/04, making this game somewhat of a rarity in recent times.

As outlined extensively above, both Bradford City and Reading have a penchant for draws, and that seems to be the most likely outcome here. Reading have only lost once in their last 4 away games, and while they recorded their first away win in impressive fashion 3-0 at Blackpool recently, it seems unlikely Leam Richardson’s early impact will extend to victory at Valley Parade, a ground that remains one of the toughest places to visit this season.

That said, the Bantams have dropped to 4th in the ‘Home’ league table, now trailing behind promotion rivals Lincoln City, Bolton Wanderers, and Cardiff City, and have won just one of their last four on home soil – that being an incredibly narrow 1-0 win over Exeter City. Striker Jack Marriott, if fit to start, would represent the most likely goalscorer for either team, with the returning Bobby Pointon and Antoni Sarcevic the most likely to strike back for the Bantams.

Given the very, very slight margins between some of the side’s statistics (Bradford City 6th vs Reading 7th in the xG table, Bradford City 45.89 % average possession vs Reading 49.78 % average possession), and with Reading being higher in the form table over the last 6 games with 11 points to City’s 9, there are just too many omens suggesting this one will play out to a stalemate.

I’ll go with that, with City’s good recent defensive record the major moderating factor – a 1-0 City win also seems very feasible.

Final Score:
Bradford City 1 – 1 Reading