Reading will be looking to secure their status in the Championship for next season before their FA Cup semi-final showdown against Arsenal next week.
Steve Clarke's men have two home games to put a comfortable distance between themselves and the drop zone, starting against Blackburn Rovers, who saw their own cup dreams ended by Liverpool on Wednesday.
Reading
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Clarke's side have a date with destiny on April 18 when they take on Arsenal in their semi-final clash in a bid to reach the final of the FA Cup for the first time in the club's history.
With a place in history beckoning Clarke will face a difficult task to remind his players that their safety in the Championship for next season is far from secure as they sit in 18th place in the table, 10 points clear of Wigan Athletic, but the Latics still have six games to play in the campaign.
The club's supporters will be dissatisfied on the whole with their Championship campaign as they were unable to match their exploits of last season where the team narrowly missed out on a place in the playoffs.
Although Clarke's arrival has failed to bring about a major change in their league form, their run in the FA Cup will give the club optimism that they are capable of rebounding next season to battle for a return to the Premier League.
The Royals have been solid if unspectacular since Clarke's arrival in December, but their cup run appears to have papered over the cracks of their inconsistent form in England's second tier.
Reading have won just three times at the Madejski Stadium in the league under Clarke and the Scot will be determined to change that record to ensure his side's safety and end their campaign on a high note, with four home fixtures remaining.
The club's current form in the Championship will be of concern to Clarke as his side have won just once in their last eight matches, which has included heavy defeats to Watford and Nottingham Forest.
Clarke's men have also failed to keep a clean sheet in the league since their victory over Ipswich on February 10, which will have to change if the Royals are to end the season at a comfortable distance from the relegation zone to give them confidence heading into the new campaign.
Recent form: DDLLWD
Recent form (all competitions): DDLWLD
Blackburn
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Unlike Reading, Blackburn will not be in action in the semi-finals of the FA Cup next week as they saw their dreams ended by Liverpool at Ewood Park on Wednesday.
Rovers were plucky in the tie and proved a decent match for the Reds, but ultimately crashed out of the competition due to Philippe Coutinho's second-half strike.
Gary Bowyer's men will now turn their focus back to the Championship where they sit 10th in the table, but out of the reckoning for a place in the playoffs.
For the second season in a row Rovers sit in the same position in the table as they have fallen frustratingly short of contending for a return to the Premier League, which will be of annoyance to Bowyer.
Rovers will look back to the period over Christmas and New Year with regret as they recorded just one win in eight matches, with better consistency the club could have found themselves in the mix with Brentford, Ipswich and Wolverhampton Wanderers for the final playoff spot.
However, Blackburn have turned into a solid unit under the management of Bowyer since he took permanent charge of the club in May 2013, and although promotion will be beyond them this season, there is reason why they can't muster a strong challenge next year.
Rovers' current form has been strong as they have won four out of their last six matches in the Championship, although they have lost twice at Ewood Park recently to Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford.
The return to form of Jordan Rhodes came just games short for Rovers' promotion push as he has netted eight goals in his last 14 games in all competitions for the club.
Keeping the Scot at Ewood Park will be crucial to any hope that the Lancashire club have of pushing themselves out of the division in the near future.
Recent form: LWLLWW
Recent form (all competitions): LWLLWW
Team News
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Reading will likely be without defender Michael Hector for the clash as he has been struggling with a knee injury, which forced him to miss their 1-1 draw with Blackpool.
Zat Knight should continue to replace Hector in the lineup. Meanwhile, midfielders Nathaniel Chalobah and Danny Williams are also doubtful for the match, with Oliver Norwood and Jem Karacan their likely replacements.
Nathan Ake is cup-tied next week so he will feature in both of the Royals' Championship matches in the coming days.
Jay Spearing could return to the Rovers' starting lineup at the Madejski Stadium after he missed the defeat to Liverpool as he was cup-tied.
Rudy Gestede may also return to the team to play alongside Rhodes after starting the cup match on the bench having overcome an injury to feature against the Reds.
Reading possible starting lineup:
Federici, Gunter, Obita, Pearce, Knight, Norwood, Ake, McCleary, Robson-Kanu, Appiah, Yakubu
Blackburn possible starting lineup:
Eastwood, Henley, Baptiste, Kilgallon, Olsson, Conway, Williamson, Spearing, Marshall, Gestede, Rhodes
Head To Head
Rovers eased to a comfortable win in the meeting between the sides earlier this season as a brace from Gestede and a strike from Ben Marshall handed them a 3-1 victory at Ewood Park.
The victory was Rovers' second win in a row over the Royals as Craig Conway's strike was enough to edge them to a 1-0 win in their last match at the Madesjki Stadium.
There have only been 14 meetings between the teams in their respective histories. Reading's only victory came in 1986, while Blackburn have won six of the contests and seven have ended in draws.
We say: Reading 1-1 Blackburn
Reading need to win this game to be certain of their survival in the Championship next season, but will face an extremely tough task against Blackburn, who will be looking to bounce back from their defeat to Liverpool.
The Royals have not been in great form at home of late, but because of their situation near the foot of the table and Rovers' security they could produce enough to get the three points. However, their leaky defence will be of great concern to Clarke, which could cost them.
Simon Sinclair
