Two of the in-form teams in the Championship meet today when Reading travel to Cardiff City Stadium to take on the Bluebirds. The Royals still have an outside chance of reaching the play-offs, while Cardiff can all but secure their place with a victory. Simon Glanville previews the game.
Cardiff team news:Big injury news for the Bluebirds this week was that Gavin Rae will not feature again this season after rupturing a tendon in his ankle. Chris Burke, Peter Whittingham and Kevin McNaughton have all been out with minor muscle injuries, but could feature against the Royals.
Captain Mark Hudson, who has been out for a longer period, is running again after his ankle operation and could be a surprise inclusion. Gabor Gyepes is rated 50-50, while Paul Quinn is coming along nicely and could be fit soon.
Reading team news: Key defender Matt Mills will be missing for Reading as he starts a four-game suspension for a red card he received at Ipswich. Jem Karacan could play after returning from his broken hand, while Jay Tabb is available after returning from injury.
Reading's season so far:Big things were expected of Reading this season after they lured highly rated Brendan Rogers from the Watford hot seat, but as it turned out, Rodgers may wish he had stayed at Vicarage Road. A horrendous run at home where the Royals failed to win in the league for eleven months, coupled with the club languishing in relegation trouble, led to Rodgers leaving just before Christmas.
Brian McDermott took temporary charge while the club searched for a replacement; little did they know they had already found their man. McDermott impressed immediately, knocking Liverpool out of the F.A. Cup at Anfield and improving the Royals' shaky league form. He was awarded the job on a permanent basis and hasn't looked back, taking the club from a relegation battle to an outside bet for a top six finish.
Last meeting: Chris Burke's fine finish from a Peter Whittingham cross secured the points for Cardiff on the road back in September, although they had to hold on with ten men after Stephen McPhail was sent off for a high challenge on Jem Karacan.
Teams from last meeting at the Madejski Stadium on 16th September 2009:
Reading: Federici, O'Dea, Bertrand, Pearce, Cummings, Howard, Matejovsky, Karacan (Kebe 78), Sigurdsson, Hunt (Church 57), Rasiak. Subs not used: Tabb, Mills, Ingimarsson, Hamer, Cisse.
Bluebirds: Marshall, Gerrard, Hudson, Kennedy, Burke, Whittingham, Ledley (Taiwo 87), Matthews (Quinn 32), McPhail, Chopra (Rae 79), Bothroyd. Subs not used: Enckelman, Gyepes, Magennis, Capaldi.
Attendance: 16,687.
Reading last time out: Recalled strikers Grzegorz Rasiak and Simon Church both scored early goals a Reading cruised to victory over Chris Coleman's Coventry on Monday night. Rasiak headed home a cross from former Bluebird Jobi McAnuff, before Church notched a penalty after Ryan Bertrand was felled in the area. Jimmy Kebe put the icing on the cake just before the break, giving the Royals a comfortable 3-0 win.
Reading side versus Coventry City: Federici, Mills, Griffin, Bertrand, Khizanishvili, McAnuff, Tabb, Kebe (Robson-Kanu 83), Karacan (Gunnarsson 68), Rasiak (Sigurdsson 78), Church. Subs not used: Long, Hamer, Pearce, Bignall.
