Reading welcome Fulham to the Madejski Stadium in a rearranged Sky Bet Championship clash in a crunch showdown at opposite ends of the table.
Victory would see Reading climb to 19th and move six points clear of the relegation zone, whereas Fulham can reclaim second with a win.
Team News
Lucas Joao could return for Reading after recovering from a hip injury.
Ovie Ejaria (muscle) is a doubt but Alen Halilovic (leg), Tom McIntyre (foot), Felipe, Araruna, Michael Morrison, Yakou Meite (all knee), Baba Rahman and Andy Yiadom (both international duty) are ruled out.
Fulham could welcome Ivan Cavaleiro back into contention after the Portuguese recovered from a groin injury.
Terence Kongolo (unspecified) is a doubt but Jean Michael Seri (international duty) is ruled out.
Stat Attack
- Reading are unbeaten in three of their last five meetings against Fulham (W2, D1, L2).
- Fulham have won just one of their last six regular season meetings away to Reading at Madejski Stadium (W1, D3, L2).
- Reading have won their last two matches against Fulham by 2-1 results and are looking to win three consecutive games against the Cottagers for the first time since October 1989 – December 1990.
- Veljko Paunovic’s Royals are unbeaten at home in all four matches in which John Swift scored this season at Madejski Stadium (W3, D1).
- Fulham are looking to avoid a sixth consecutive league match without a win for the first time since a 11-match winless run between March-August 2021.
Prediction
Having suffered an embarrassing FA Cup defeat at Kidderminster Harriers on Saturday, Reading now have their survival fight to focus on especially with some key players nearing returns which should give them a boost on top of recent form against Fulham.
Marco Silva’s Cottagers meanwhile hit a rut in the last month but did well to grind out four draws from their last five league games, which was again evident in their scrappy FA Cup extra-time win at Bristol City on Saturday despite utilising their key players.
Fitness levels impacting upon this match therefore wouldn’t be a surprise but if Fulham can use their win as a launchpad, I wouldn’t be surprised if they find a way to snatch a crucial win to reignite their promotion charge in spite of their poor away form in this fixture.
Prediction: Reading 1-2 Fulham
Result: Reading 0-7 Fulham