Reading and Ipswich Town are both fighting for Championship survival.
Reading boss Jose Gomes has told the Reading Chronicle his side will target 27 points from his final 17 games, a tally which would leave Ipswich Town needing an incredible run of form to survive.
“If we get another 27 points we will be near to getting out of the positions where we don’t want to be. I am more confident now than a few weeks before because the players have shown me they can play like I want them to and they can score against any team.,” the Portuguese boss explained.
Reading are currently 22nd in the Championship table on 24 points, one point behind Rotherham United after the Royals secured a 1-1 draw with fellow relegation rivals Bolton Wanderers in midweek.
27 points from their final 17 games would leave Reading on 51 points, a tally which has been enough for clubs to preserve their Championship status in nine of the last ten seasons.
While Reading aren’t the only club in danger of going down, there is a gap between themselves and both Wigan Athletic and Millwall (both on 29 points) therefore it does seem to be a case of three from four.
Ipswich are seven points adrift of safety at the bottom of the Championship table, and for them to reach 52 points it would mean the Tractor Boys taking an incredible 34 points from 17 games – two points per game.
Paul Lambert’s men have only won three of their past 29 games, but they may now have to go on automatic promotion form (bettering both Leeds United and Norwich City’s points-per-game average) to survive.
Realistically, 45 or 46 points will likely be enough but that still leaves Ipswich with a huge uphill task. The Suffolk club need to find a way of putting a run of results together, especially on the road where they’ve managed to amass just one point from their last nine away games.
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