MX23RW : Tuesday, November 5 21:00:03| >> :600:172241:172241:
[monks data]
Reading logo
Championship
Feb 8, 2014 at 3pm UK
 
Sheffield Wednesday logo

0-2

FT(HT: 0-1)
Maguire (10' pen.), Afobe (59')

Preview: Reading vs. Sheffield Wednesday

Sports Mole previews Saturday's Championship clash between in-form sides Reading and Sheffield Wednesday at the Madejski.

Two of the Championship's most in-form sides will go head to head on Saturday as Reading host Sheffield Wednesday at the Madejski Stadium.

Reading currently occupy the much-coveted sixth place in the table, with a cushion of four points separating them from the playoff-chasing pack.

A win this weekend would not only keep that gap intact, but it could see also see them leapfrog Nottingham Forest into fourth if results go their way.

Results certainly have gone their way in the last few weeks, with four wins from their last five matches and only one league defeat in 2014 so far.

The Royals have announced themselves as a potent attacking force during that spell, hitting seven past Bolton Wanderers, five past Blackpool and three without reply past Millwall in their most recent outing.

Fans may be expecting another flurry of goals, particularly at the Madejski, where Reading have scored 12 in their last two matches.

They have kept things relatively tight at the back during their recent purple patch too, conceding just five goals in their last six league games.

Hope Akpan could be fit despite being forced off during the win over Millwall, which means that Nigel Adkins may name an unchanged lineup.

Sheffield Wednesday's ambitions for the season are very different from Reading's, but they too have experienced a remarkable run of form that has seen them soar up the table.

The Owls scored a 97th-minute winner to beat Barnsley in a Yorkshire derby last weekend, a result that lifted them up to 17th in the table, six points clear of the relegation zone.

Stuart Gray has worked wonders with the side since taking over, and they have now gone 10 matches unbeaten in all competitions.

The previously leaky defence has conceded just three times in their last seven Championship matches, while the attack has scored 12 in the same period.

Wednesday also have at least one game in hand over the majority of other teams in the league, so could find their position improve even further once they have made those up.

Away from home, the Owls have struggled to pick up wins with just two in their last seven in all competitions, but they are still unbeaten in that time, with the remaining five ending in draws.

However, Gray will be without Jermaine Johnson and Giles Coke for the match as both serve suspensions for recent red cards, while Anthony Gardner and Rafael Floro are ruled out through injury.

Recent form

Reading: LWWLWW

Sheff Weds: WWDWDW

Possible starting lineups

Reading: McCarthy; Gunter, Pearce, Gorkss, Obita; McCleary, Akpan, Williams, McAnuff; Pogrebnyak, Le Fondre

Sheff Weds: Kirkland; Palmer, Onyewu, Llera, Mattock; Maguire, Lee, Semedo, Maghoma, Helan; Nuhiu

Sports Mole says: 2-1


ID:135697: cacheID:135697:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:5419:No Data Analysis info

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Restore Data
Share this article now:
Stuart Gray manager of Sheffield Wednesday looks on during the Sky Bet Championship match between Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds United at Hillsborough Stadium on January 11, 2014
Read Next:
Preview: Sheff Weds vs. Barnsley
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Birmingham CityBirmingham1292123111229
2Wycombe WanderersWycombe1282226161026
3Wrexham1374221101125
4Mansfield TownMansfield127322014624
5Lincoln CityLincoln137332016424
6Bolton WanderersBolton137242219323
7Huddersfield TownHuddersfield137151912722
8Barnsley136432118322
9Reading137152120122
10Stockport CountyStockport135622012821
11Exeter CityExeter126151310319
12Charlton AthleticCharlton135441514119
13Peterborough UnitedPeterborough145362526-118
14Rotherham UnitedRotherham144551416-217
15Stevenage145271015-517
16Blackpool134452125-416
17Bristol Rovers135171520-516
18Northampton TownNorthampton134361720-315
19Wigan AthleticWigan133551211114
20Leyton Orient133281118-711
21Cambridge UnitedCambridge123181117-610
22Crawley TownCrawley133191225-1310
23Shrewsbury TownShrewsbury1422101325-128
24Burton Albion120481325-124


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!