Wednesday , 30 September 2026

Reading FC vs Watford FC, FA Cup 2022-23 ROUND 3

FA Cup · 2022-23
2 – 0
Full Time
Sat 7 Jan 2023 · 12:30 UTC Select Car Leasing Stadium HT 45' · FT 45'

Overview

Match Preview

Reading FC vs Watford FC — FA Cup at Select Car Leasing Stadium.

Recent Form

DateOpponentH/A ScoreResult
07 Jan Watford FC H 2–0 W
02 Jan West Bromwich Albion FC A 0–1 L
30 Dec Norwich City FC A 1–1 D
27 Dec Swansea City AFC H 2–1 W
16 Dec Birmingham City FC A 2–3 L
10 Dec Coventry City FC H 1–0 W
DateOpponentH/A ScoreResult
07 Jan Reading FC A 0–2 L
02 Jan Norwich City FC A 1–0 W
30 Dec Swansea City AFC A 0–4 L
26 Dec Millwall FC H 0–2 L
17 Dec Huddersfield Town AFC A 2–0 W
11 Dec Hull City AFC H 0–0 D

Key Stats

20% Both Teams to Score
H2H (5 games)
20% Over 2.5 Goals
H2H history
0% Clean Sheets
Reading FC this season
0% Clean Sheets
Watford FC this season

Events

Match Events

  • 0' The game is set. Reading FC kicks off things out of here…
  • 5' Watford FC is defending very well tonight not leaving a chance for their rivals to get through for a goal.
  • 10' Players seem to put ease on their energy level Spectators hardly appreciate such approach. Teams need to speed up the tempo.
  • 13' A moment of madness from Amadou Salif Mbengue on 13 minutes earns him a Yellow card. Reading FC will be frustrated.
  • 18' has dominated the recent head-to-head record, winning 0 of the last 0 meetings.
  • 23' While there is no rush on the pitch, let’s have a look at some stats. Naby Sarr made 382 appearances and scored 16 goals. He is very likely to score a goal today.
  • 28' A quiet spell here at Select Car Leasing Stadium. Watford FC seem content sitting deep and soaking up pressure.
  • 33' Spectators do not have much to choose from both teams. The sides had several scoring chances but they still need a bit more than just a sight of a goal.
  • 38' The tempo has dropped considerably in the last few minutes. Paul Ince will be considering his options from the bench.
  • 43' It is a cagey affair so far. Reading FC in their trying to find a way past Watford FC's compact .
  • 46' The Watford FC manager makes a substitution. Adrian Blake departs to be replaced by Leandro Bacuna.
  • 48' A stunning finish from Kelvin Abrefa — that came from absolutely nowhere!
  • 53' Femi Azeez has certainly something to prove this evening. He made 4 appearances with only 0 goals this season.
  • 54' It is a substitution in Watford FC team. Leandro Bacuna is replaced by Jack Grieves on 54 minute.
  • 59' The travelling Watford FC supporters hardly appreciate their team being pressed down to the backline.
  • 60' The referee has no hesitation. James Morris is booked for Watford FC — Yellow card on 60.
  • 65' It looks surprising Reading FC does not make any changes. William Troost-Ekong has some obvious troubles when approaching to the goal.
  • 70' Fresh legs for Reading FC! Andy Carroll comes on to replace Femi Azeez.
  • 70' It’s gonna be a Yellow card for Amadou Salif Mbengue.
  • 75' With 0 assists to his name this season, James Morris is clearly more than just a goal scorer for Watford FC.
  • 79' A change in the Reading FC ranks — Lucas Joao exits the field as Michael Craig enters on 79.
  • 84' The midfield battle is intense right now. Both Reading FC and Watford FC are fighting for every inch of the pitch.
  • 87' A tactical swap from Reading FC — Nesta Guinness-Walker on, Abdul Rahman Baba off on 87 minutes.
  • Both sets of fans can go home satisfied — a 2-0 draw is a fair result on the day.

Lineups

H2H

Predictions

Prediction accuracy
3 / 4
1.33 Reading FC xG
Expected Goals
Dixon-Coles · Bivariate Poisson · Neg. Binomial · Elo
0.88 Watford FC xG
I would bet for: Under 2.5 goals 62% + Under — clean sheet likely 56%

Match Result

✓ Correct
Reading FC48% Draw29% Watford FC23%
Actual: Reading FC win

Both Teams to Score

✓ Correct
Yes44% 0% No56%
Avg goals/match: 2.21
Actual: No — clean sheet

Over / Under Goals

✓ O/U 2.5
Line Over Under
± 0.5 87%
13%
± 1.5 65%
35%
± 2.5 38%
62%
± 3.5 19%
81%
± 4.5 8%
92%

Double Chance

Reading FC or Draw
77%
Draw or Watford FC
52%
Reading FC or Watford FC
71%

Half-Time Result

✗ Wrong
Reading FC31% Draw52% Watford FC17%
Actual: Reading FC win at HT

Correct Score

✓ In top 12
1 – 1
13.7%
1 – 0
13.5%
0 – 0
13.2%
2 – 0
Actual
0 – 1
8.4%
2 – 1
8.3%
1 – 2
5.4%
3 – 0
4.1%
0 – 2
4%
3 – 1
3.8%
2 – 2
3.7%
3 – 2
1.8%

Asian Handicap — Reading FC

Handicap Reading FC covers Push Watford FC covers
-2.5 8% — 92%
-2 8% 14% 78%
-1.5 22% — 78%
-1 22% 24% 54%
-0.5 46% — 54%
+0.5 77% — 23%
+1 77% 15% 8%
+1.5 92% — 8%
+2 92% 6% 2%
+2.5 98% — 2%

Clean Sheet

Reading FC keeps clean sheet
42% ✗
Watford FC keeps clean sheet
27% ✓

Predictions are statistical estimates based on season form, H2H history, and a Poisson model. Not financial advice.