READING FC finally return to Sky Bet Championship action tonight when they welcome Derby County to Madejski Stadium (8pm ko, live on Sky).

And following their bitterly disappointing season last time around Royals will be hoping to make amends this year, starting against the Rams.

Star player Liam Moore will not be involved tonight as his transfer saga rumbles on.

Meanwhile, Tyler Blackett will serve the final game of a three-match ban and will have to watch on from the stands.

Chris Gunter is out of action for up to six weeks and David Edwards is also recovering from a knock.

New signing Sam Baldock is fit and available for selection and Paul Clement could also hand debuts to Marc McNulty, David Meyler and Andy Yiadom.

John O'Shea is nearing first-team training but is not yet available for selection. Callum Harriott, Garath McCleary, Jordan Obita and Anssi Jaakola are also recovering from various injuries.

Derby meanwhile will be buoyed by their new manager, Frank Lampard, as he prepares to make his managerial debut against Paul Clement, who he worked with during his time at Chelsea FC.

Yakou Meite impressed Clement in pre-season and should be involved against Derby while George Evans could face his former teammates after he moved to Pride Park last week.

INTERESTING NOTES AHEAD OF THE GAME:

  • The last game between these two sides ended in a thrilling 3-3 draw with former Royal Chris Baird being sent off for a shocking lunge.
  • The last time Reading won their opening game of the season was under Jaap Stam in 2016 when they beat Preston 1-0 at Madejski Stadium.
  • Royals' last two home games (Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town) have both ended in 4-0 defeats.

PREDICTED LINE-UP

Derby County are a top side and I think Paul Clement will go for one striker up top tonight, writes Courtney Friday.

Putting two up front from the start could leave Reading exposed defensively.

Judging from Sam Baldock's comments earlier in the week, he is not quite fit to start the game so I believe Yakou Meite will get the nod up top. It is a tough call between him and Bodvarsson, but Meite has had a six-week pre-season and has really impressed Clement.

Tyler Blackett, Chris Gunter and Liam Moore are all set to miss out so I have gone for a back four of Andy Yiadom, Paul McShane, Tiago Ilori and Omar Richards.

Leandro Bacuna is close to first-team training but I doubt he will be fit enough to start tonight, so my midfield consists of David Meyler, Liam Kelly and John Swift supporting the striker.

Lastly, with limited options due to injury, I think it is a fair assumption that Modou Barrow and Sone Aluko will both start tonight.

Reading Chronicle:

The Chronicle is predicting a 2-1 win for the Royals this evening. What do you think the scoreline will be?

See the links below for all the key build-up to tonight's fixture.