Blackburn Rovers make the trip to the Madejski Stadium aware that it will likely take three points to remain in fourth position in the Championship standings.
Meanwhile, Reading head into Saturday's fixture on the back of four games without success, leaving the Royals just two points above the relegation zone.
Match preview
© Reuters
While Blackburn's form during the first half of the season has deservedly kept them inside the top six, the North-West outfit had reached a point on Tuesday where they were at risk of dropping outside of the playoff spots.
Being 1-0 down at home to struggling Derby County only increased the pressure on Tony Mowbray and his players but with their backs to the wall, they responded decisively to get their season back on track.
Not only did goals from Scott Wharton, Tyrhys Dolan and Sam Gallagher secure a 3-1 victory over the Rams, it comprehensively ended a run of just one goal from nine matches.
In comparison to many of their rivals, Blackburn have a favourable run-in, but Mowbray will stress to his side that they can ill-afford another slip-up in the final game before the international break.
That said, Blackburn head into this contest having failed to win any of their last six league fixtures away from home, just 14 goals in total being scored on the road in 18 games.
© Reuters
Although that will make for pleasant reading for their next opponents, Reading possess the third-worst home record in the division, winning just once at the Madejski Stadium since the middle of October.
That success came in Paul Ince's first game against Birmingham City on February 22, but the Royals have failed to prevail in any of their last four matches.
On a positive note, however, a three-game losing streak was ended by an impressive point coming from the fixture at Bournemouth in midweek, Tom Ince netting an equaliser seven minutes from time.
The importance of that strike remains to be seen but in the short term, it has kept Reading two points above Barnsley, who they face after the international break.
While many will still rate Reading as outsiders to avoid dropping into League One, avoiding defeat against another promotion candidate on Saturday may change that perception.
- W
- W
- L
- L
- L
- D
- L
- W
- L
- D
- L
- W
Team News
© Reuters
John Swift could return to the Reading XI after illness, potentially taking the place of Danny Drinkwater.
Barring any more injury issues, the remainder of the side could stay the same with Yakou Meite only being named among the replacements.
Providing that Ryan Nyambe does not make a surprise return from a knee injury, Ryan Giles may be considered for a spot at right wing-back ahead of Joe Rankin-Costello.
Gallagher could come in for Reda Khadra having netted as a substitute against Derby, but this game may come too soon for Bradley Dack to build on his two recent substitute appearances after a serious knee injury.
Lewis Travis's 10th yellow card of the season in midweek came after the suspension cut-off point, meaning that he is free to play on Saturday.
Reading possible starting lineup:
Nyland; Yiadom, Holmes, Morrison, McIntyre; Laurent, Rinomhota; Ince, Swift, Ejaria; Joao
Blackburn Rovers possible starting lineup:
Kaminski; Lenihan, Van Hecke, Wharton; Giles, Travis, Rothwell, Pickering; Johnson; Gallagher, Dolan
We say: Reading 1-2 Blackburn Rovers
With home advantage in their favour, Reading will back themselves to get at least a point on the board against their inconsistent opponents. However, we feel that Blackburn's win in midweek will do them the world of good, leading us to predict a narrow victory for the visitors.
Top tip
Darren Plant
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Blackburn Rovers win with a probability of 42.26%. A win for Reading had a probability of 31.47% and a draw had a probability of 26.3%.
The most likely scoreline for a Blackburn Rovers win was 0-1 with a probability of 10.6%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (8.8%) and 0-2 (7.47%). The likeliest Reading win was 1-0 (8.87%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.49%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with an 8.9% likelihood.
