Championship leaders Reading will host a newly-promoted side for the second game in a row on Saturday as Rotherham United travel to the Madejski Stadium.
The Royals defeated Wycombe Wanderers 1-0 on Tuesday night to overtake Bristol City, who were beaten by Middlesbrough.
Match preview
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Reading are now one of just two unbeaten sides left in the Championship, along with Bournemouth, and sit three points clear at the summit of the table.
However they put in arguably their worst performance of the season in the first half against Wycombe before Lucas Joao's sixth goal of the campaign in the 64th-minute gave them all three points.
It has been a remarkable start to life as Royals boss for Veljko Paunovic, with his team winning five out of six games so far and also recording five clean sheets.
Incredibly, they rank bottom of the division for average shots taken per game (7.3), but as Tuesday night proved, they only need one to win a game.
Meanwhile, Rotherham had to settle for a 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest in midweek having taken the lead in the game through Dan Barlaser's penalty.
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It is now just two wins in 51 Championship away games for the Millers, and their record on the road at Reading is not one to be admired either.
They have won only once in 24 trips to Berkshire – in May 1977 - and it means they have never won at the Madejski Stadium, which opened in 1998.
The good news for Rotherham is that Paul Warne will be back in the dugout on Saturday having completed a period of self-isolation after one of his family members tested positive for coronavirus.
Warne has admitted that he has "felt like a fan" watching the last two games from home, so will be pleased to be able to be barking orders on the touchline once again.
Reading Championship form: WWWWDW
Reading form (all competitions): LWWWDW
Rotherham United Championship form: WLDDLD
Team News
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Reading's newest signings Tomas Esteves and Alfa Semedo both impressed as substitutes in the win over Wycombe, so could earn their first starts against Rotherham.
It was a poor night against the Chairboys for Yakou Meite, and Sone Aluko is waiting patiently to take his place on the right wing.
Veljko Paunovic confirmed on Tuesday that striker Sam Baldock would miss the next month with a calf injury.
Former Royals academy player Angus MacDonald remains suspended for Rotherham following his red card against Norwich City.
It has been confirmed that fellow defender Clark Robertson will be out until the new year after suffering a foot fracture.
Shaun MacDonald and Kieran Sadlier could both come back into the side as Paul Warne searches for a first win since the opening day.
Reading possible starting lineup:
Rafael; Esteves, Morrison, Moore, Richards; Laurent, Rinomhota; Meite, Olise, Ejaria; Joao
Rotherham United possible starting lineup:
Blackman; Harding, Ihiekwe, Wood, Mattock; Crooks, S. MacDonald, Barlaser; Wiles, Ladapo, Sadlier
We say: Reading 1-0 Rotherham United
Low-scoring wins could become a theme for Reading this season and all the signs point towards that happening on Saturday. Paunovic has made the Royals a clinical side, and that will be key against a resolute Rotherham team.
Top betting tip
Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting a home win in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Home Win:data
Olly Allen
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 Rotherham United win with a probability of 47.05%. A win for Reading had a probability of 26.66% and a draw had a probability of 26.3%.
The most likely scoreline for a Rotherham United win was 0-1 with a probability of 12.08%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (9.11%) and 0-2 (8.83%). The likeliest Reading win was 1-0 (8.52%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.45%). The actual scoreline of 3-0 was predicted with a 1.5% likelihood.
