- Team form: Reading are unbeaten in 4 of their last 5 matches (W2, D2, L1).
- Wigan form: Wigan are on a mixed to poor run with 1 win, 1 draw and 3 defeats in their last 5 in all competitions.
Royals are the Royalists of League One
Form and odds
Wigan and Reading come into this Saturday afternoon game in very different form with Reading sitting 6th in League One with 15 points from their first 9 games and Wigan 24th with 4 points from 8 games. However, it is Reading who are 2.1 favorites for this game at The Brick Community Stadium, with Wigan coming in at 3.15 and the draw at 3.65.
Head-to-head and recent results
Reading claimed a 3-0 home win over Wigan in League One in 2025/2026 and the Royals have won 4 of the last 5 meetings in the third tier with the Latics taking just 1 of those games (D0). Reading have also taken two wins from their last 3 visits to Wigan in this fixture.
A 3-2 win over Blackpool in the EFL Trophy on Tuesday looked like it could have been the catalyst for a Wigan revival, but their 1-0 defeat away to Stevenage in League One earlier today suggests that they are still on shaky ground.
Marriott is the main man for the Royals
They have a double pivot and aren't a full-throttle pressing side. Instead, they look to control the game, but transition to the attack with enough subtlety to do enough damage when in front.
Marriott has hit two of the Royals' last five goals and looks in good touch right now, so our selection for this mid-table clash in the making is Jack Marriott to score anytime at 11/4. The odds are a little short, but he is the only man in the Reading team capable of scoring against anyone on his day.
- Wigan are a structured, team-first side in a three-centre-back base, with Gary Caldwell's three centre-backs sitting deep and his two wing-backs pushing the tempo in transition.
- Reading are a different breed, but pragmatic 4-2-3-1 is the best way to describe the way in which Leam Richardson has set them up.
- In Jack Marriott, the Royals have the man to cause problems for anyone in this division, as his 8 goals in 7 League One appearances this term attests.
Latics have a blunt attack
Wigan have scored just three goals in four home League One matches in 2026/2027, which is blunt return that leaves Caldwell's side vulnerable in this type of matchup. The Latics have won 1 and lost 2 of their last 3 home games and we think they will be up against it this weekend.
Jensen Weir leads the Latics scoring with just two goals in 7 League One outings and Wigan have no one of Marriott's class to go to when things aren't going well.
A safer option than the Reading win, however, could be Both Teams to Score – Yes at 1.57 with the overs odds on this market also coming in at 1.7, which is a bit short for us.
It's hard to argue with the head-to-head record and Reading's league position when making a selection here, but Wigan are always a threat at home and have enough fight to keep this one in play as a possible upset. Our preference, however, is for Reading's sharper attack and better away record to just edge this one, so we're going for a Royals win at 2.1.
