Reading vs Luton Town Tips & Preview - Struggling defences to offer up goals

By Tolu Shotade

16 Dec 2025

Tolu Shotade 16 Dec 2025

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Reading battle Luton Town with both aiming for crucial points.
Both teams struggle defensively, promising a high-scoring game.
Second-half goals expected; playoff and relegation implications high.

Reading vs Luton Town

Luton Town are looking to maintain their push for the playoff places when they travel to Reading for an English League One clash on Thursday.

However, the visitors have been below their best lately, while the hosts are also unconvincing at the moment. Both teams often struggle to maintain their discipline at the back and could be set to offer up goals here.

Reading News

Reading head into this clash off the back of a 2-0 defeat at Bradford City last time out in League One. That was the second straight defeat for Leam Richardson’s team, who were beaten 2-1 at home by Peterborough in their previous fixture.

Sitting above the relegation zone only on goal difference, Reading will be keen to find a spark of resurgence for their campaign. However, their home form has also been poor, failing to win four of their last five matches across all competitions, although they have scored in all four fixtures.

Reading often struggle to keep things tight at the back and are without a clean sheet in seven of their last 10 matches across all competitions. The last three matches have produced more goals after the break, while two of those fixtures have offered up over 2.5 goals.

Luton Town News

Luton Town are in the mix for the playoffs, sitting just three points off the top six. However, they have looked off colour lately and are winless in four of their last five matches across all competitions, playing out a 2-2 home draw with Port Vale in their previous fixture.

The Hatters have also found things difficult on their recent travels, failing to win their last three away matches. Among their results on this run is a 5-0 defeat at Barnsley, a loss that highlights their defensive problems.

Luton Town have no problems going forward and have scored in their last eight of their last 10 matches across all competitions. Seven of those fixtures have produced over 2.5 goals, while two of the last three have offered up more goals after the break.

Head to Head

Reading have six wins while Luton Town have picked up five victories, with three draws in the last seven matches. Their last meeting was a Championship clash in 2023, which ended in a 1-1 draw.

Verdict

Reading v Luton

Reading and Luton often struggle to keep things tight at the back, and both teams are expected to score here. With seven of the visitors’ last 10 matches producing over 2.5 goals, a similar outcome could be on the cards here.

Both teams have a knack for leaving things late and could be set to produce more second-half goals in Thursday's clash.

Yes

Both Teams to Score

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Over 2.5

Total Goals

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Second Half

Highest Scoring Half

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