Reading FC will fear Peterborough United exploiting League One detail | OneFootball

The Royals have a poor defensive record on the road - and they are coming up against a side who could take full advantage of that.

Reading will be hoping to build on their point at Stevenage when they make the trip to Peterborough United on Saturday.

The Royals struck late through Harvey Knibbs to take a point away from the Lamex Stadium. That draw and their performance would have given them some confidence heading into the international break.

The break, however, means the Berkshire outfit don’t have another home game this month, and that’s tricky for a side that often struggle on the road.

At the Select Car Leasing Stadium, they have been excellent under manager Ruben Selles, but picking up wins away from home has been a much bigger challenge for them.

Posh, therefore, will be the favourites coming into this weekend’s game at the Weston Homes Stadium.

They may be below the Royals in the table, but they are still ones to watch following their top-six finish at the end of last term.

With the chances they had in the semi-final second leg against Oxford United, they should have been the ones booking their place at Wembley, but they fell short in the end and will be looking to redeem themselves by securing a Championship return at the end of this campaign.

2-2 was the result in last season’s fixture between the two teams, with Femi Azeez striking late to secure a point for Selles’ men, but he’s no longer at the club and another key man will need to step up this weekend if they want to have any chance of getting something out of this game.

Peterborough United have been ruthless at home in recent times

Posh have been clinical on their home patch in recent times.

They scored three against Rotherham United in mid-October in a 3-3 draw, before securing a 5-1 win against Steve Bruce’s Blackpool later that month.

This month, they sealed a 4-1 victory against Crystal Palace U21s in the EFL Trophy, despite making a few changes to their side, before hitting rivals Cambridge United for six in an emphatic 6-1 victory against Garry Monk’s men.

They haven’t got a bad attacking record on the road either - and their excellent goalscoring form will provide confidence to a Posh side that lost Jonson Clarke-Harris and Ephron Mason-Clark in the summer.

Kwame Poku, Ricky Jade-Jones, and Malik Mothersille are all excellent players to have at this level, and the trio could cause real issues against any League One team, let alone one that has struggled defensively on the road for a few years.

Poku could be a particularly formidable threat, with the 23-year-old winger scoring 10 goals in 17 appearances this term.

Peterborough United could capitalise on Reading FC’s poor defensive record

Posh are coming up against a Royals side that have the worst defensive record on the road this season.

Failing to keep a single clean sheet on the road in the league this term, they have conceded 17 goals in seven away games in the third tier, and that record hasn't been helped by their 5-2 defeat at Bolton Wanderers and 4-1 loss against Stockport County.

They also conceded three at Wrexham, which was perhaps unfair on them, considering they showed real promise during the early stages of the game and could have taken the lead.

However, they were caught on the break for the first goal and conceded three goals that could have been prevented in North Wales.

It's fair to say that centre-backs Tyler Bindon and Amadou Mbengue aren't the main problem, because both have performed fairly well this season and the former has established himself as one of the best young players in the third tier.

They don't have any natural, senior full-backs fit at this stage, with Jeriel Dorsett playing as a central defender earlier in his career.

Their midfield is also a bit of an issue - because the makeup of their midfield makes it fairly easy for some teams to bypass them.

The likes of Lewis Wing, Harvey Knibbs, Ben Elliott and Charlie Savage are all good players to have when attacking, but they aren't the best defensively and Michael Craig, who is currently needed at right-back, may be a better option to have as a defensive midfielder.

This is probably an area they need to invest in, but with a takeover yet to be completed, it would be difficult to see them strengthening this area anytime soon.