Reading U21 vs Norwich U21 prediction 07.10.2024 | Premier League 2

• Competition: Premier League 2
• Date: Monday, 7th October, 2024
• Kickoff: 19:00 UK / 20:00 CEST
• Venue: Select Car Leasing Stadium (Reading)

On Monday evening, Reading U21 will welcome Norwich U21 in the sixth round of the Premier League 2 at Select Car Leasing Stadium in Reading.

Reading U21 had an excellent last season, finishing 6th (out of 26 teams), and had a good run in the Playoffs. They reached the Semi-Finals but lost to Sunderland U21 in a close duel (4:3 after ET). But this year, they are not even close to that level, as they are in 19th place with only five points in five rounds. Yet, they are still just one point away from the playoffs, and since they have a pretty easy schedule in the upcoming three games (Norwich U21, Tottenham U21, and Blackburn U21), they have the opportunity to move further to the middle of the table.

Meanwhile, Norwich U21 missed the Playoffs last year by two points while winning only 23 points in 20 rounds. This year, the young Canaries are around their level in terms of points per game. Right now, they have six points in five rounds (1.2 per game), compared to 1.15 points per game last year. While it's still early in the season, their current 17th-place standing seems to reflect their level.

Reading U21 vs Norwich U21 pick: Over 3.5 goals

Reading U21 haven't been really great offensively this season, but that changed in the last two matches as they scored five goals against Everton U21 and Jong Ajax U21. So, there are definitely things to be optimistic about, at least on the offensive end.

Norwich U21 are one of the teams that can both score and concede a lot and because of that, they have the fourth-highest goal-per-game in the league at 4.8. In the last four games, we saw only high-scoring games, as they were over 2.5 goals in all four games and were over 3.5 goals on two occasions.

Additionally, neither team has been good defensively and hasn't had a clean sheet this year. Considering poor defensive performances and all the above, we believe that an over 3.5 goals is the safest option for this Premier League 2 game.