Bristol Rovers vs Reading: 2026/27 EFL Trophy Match Preview

What a game! Through to the next round of the FA Cup and, to top it all off, Charlie Savage scores against Robbie Savage’s side. 5-0 is something you don’t see very often, but that was one of the lowest-scoring games of the weekend. There were a few upsets elsewhere, most notably Wimborne Town beating Crawley Town. Those players are probably still celebrating now. On Sunday the only game I watched was Stafford Rangers vs Grimsby Town. I myself played for Stafford Rangers for a bit so it was heartbreaking to watch them lose on penalties.Bristol Rovers’ last game was against Cambridge United. A 2-0 win with goals from Reiss-Alexander Russell-Denny (I hope to never write that name again, that was long) and Fabrizio Cavegn sealed the deal for Rovers. So they are also now through to the next round of the cup.To qualify for the knockout stage of the EFL Trophy, Reading need to win by four goals, which is possible with how the Royals have been scoring lately. Tuesday night football brings the EFL Trophy to the Memorial Stadium. Kick-off is at 19:00 and available to watch on Sky Sports+. The last match between the two sides finished 2-0 to the Royals, with Lewis Wing and Chem Campbell getting the goals.In this preview I will mention players who have played for both and I will give my predictions for the match. Players who played for both Here are four of those who’ve played for both Reading and Bristol Rovers.The first is Billy Bodin. In 2024 the striker played 16 matches for the Royals, scoring two and assisting one. He was a good sub for a season when we did not have any strikers. He played 107 matches for Bristol Rovers. In this time he scored 37 goals and got 17 assists.Sammy Igoe played 96 games for the Royals, scoring seven goals and getting one assist between 2000 and 2003.For Bristol Rovers he played 93 games, scoring six and getting five assists. Joe Lumley played 42 games for Reading. It wasn’t a transfer people were happy about, but he actually was an alright goalkeeper. His save percentage was 63% and he won 11 games, 11 draws and 19 losses in a campaign Reading got relegated. He played 19 games for Bristol Rovers with a 72.3% save percentage and he won seven games, drew six and lost six.Finally we have Gabriel Osho. The centre-back came through the academy and played 10 games for Reading. In 2018 he was on loan at Bristol Rovers but failed to get a single game. He has now played in the top league in France and now turns out for Cardiff City in the Championship. My predictionsI am hoping that no players who we want to play at the weekend play in this one. It should be a full starting 11 change.Jack Stevens should be in goal. A back line of Ashqar Ahmed, Conor Masterson, Boyd Beacroft and Jeriel Dorsett. Liam Fraser and Luke Howard should be the midfield. Emannuel Osho, Joe Barough and Daniel Kyerewaa will be the three attacking midfielders. Sean Patton or Jacob Brown will be up front, but it will most likely be Brown.Score prediction: 4-0 Reading! Good luck to those who are going to the game. Come on you Royals!