The Nigel Eady County Ground will stage a cross-division encounter in the EFL Trophy’s Southern Group D this evening, as Swindon Town host Reading at 20:00.

Swindon head into the contest on the back of a convincing 3-0 away victory over promotion rivals Crewe Alexandra on Saturday. That result lifted Ian Holloway’s side to fifth place in the standings, level on 12 points with third-placed Bromley, who currently occupy one of the automatic promotion spots.

Reading, under Noel Hunt, also came close to playoff contention last term, but their start to the new campaign has been far less promising. The Royals opened 2025-26 with two straight defeats and failed to win any of their first five League One fixtures, registering three losses and two draws. However, they have begun to turn things around, following up a 2-1 EFL Cup win against AFC Wimbledon with their first league victory of the season – a 1-0 triumph over Port Vale on Saturday.

Chasing a third straight win in all competitions, Hunt’s men will fancy their chances, particularly as they have suffered just two away defeats since January. Swindon, by contrast, have been inconsistent at home, and while Reading’s early struggles cannot be ignored, their growing momentum and proven resilience on the road could make them difficult to break down.

For our Bet of the day, we tip Reading to win at 33/20