Reading FC will be looking to get back on track following Saturday's defeat at Middlesbrough when they welcome Luton Town to the Select Car Leasing Stadium on Wednesday evening (8PM Kick-Off).
The Royals are still searching for the first win on home soil since their October 16th victory over Barnsley. Last time out at the SCL they were crushed 7-0 by Fulham, so the bar is not particularly high.
Team News
As has been the case throughout the season, there is plenty of team news for Reading. Star striker Lucas Joao returned to action for the final few minutes of Saturday’s 2-1 defeat, so he should be in the squad and even have a chance to start.
Meanwhile, Michael Morrison is nearing his own return from a knee injury after playing 45 minutes for the U23s last Friday against Newcastle. Paunovic expressed optimism that he could make the squad for Wednesday’s clash with Luton.
On the negative side, Junior Hoilett is likely to miss the match after suffering a hamstring injury against Middlesbrough while long-term absentees Tom McIntyre and Yakou Meite are not yet ready. Scott Dann is still dealing with musuclar injury sustained against Fulham.
Felipe Araruna and Alen Halilovic, each injured in the FA Cup defeat to Kidderminster Harriers, will most likely miss Luton while the statuses of dethroned captain Liam Moore and midfielder Ovie Ejaria remain unclear as they recover from “soft-tissue” problems.
Read More: Who should replace Liam Moore as Reading captain?
Full-backs Andy Yiadom and Baba Rahman will miss another game as they continue to be away in Cameroon with the Ghanaian national team for the Africa Cup of Nations. Andy Carroll is almost certain to be absent from the squad considering his Reading contract has expired and he is yet to sign the offered extension.
Unsurprisingly, Luton Town’s squad is in much healthier shape although there are doubts around the availability of duo Allan Campbell and Reece Burke.
Form Guide
Reading’s desperate form nearly got the boost they so badly needed at Middlesbrough but a late collapse ensured it was yet another defeat for the Royals.
Veljko Paunovic's side have now won just two of their last 13 Championship matches. In that time they’ve conceded 25 goals, a number that includes the seven shipped against Fulham, but they’ve only scored 12 of their own.
The Royals have thrown away huge points in two of their last three games, surrendering a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 with Derby County before the aforementioned Middlesbrough crumble.
Last Five: LLDLD
Currently sitting 13th in the Championship table, Luton have recovered from a rough patch of form to win two of their last three games.
Through the end of October and November, Nathan Jones' side had lost four of their six league fixtures but since then they’ve beaten Blackpool and Bournemouth and drawn with Fulham
The recent victory over Bournemouth was particularly uplifting for Luton as they snatched all three points in the 97th minute thanks to Kai Naismith’s winner from the edge of the box.
Last Five: WDWLD
Opposition Danger Man: Elijah Adebayo
After beginning his career in the Fulham academy, Adebayo has had to take an extended route back to the Championship.
More than a decade in West London yielded a grand total of zero first team appearances but loans to Slough Town, Bognor Regis Town, Cheltenham Town, Swindon Town, and Stevenage prepared him for life after Fulham when he eventually departed on a permanent basis to League Two Walsall in 2019.
Adebayo notched 18 goals in two seasons at Bescot Stadium and while it may not have been the kind of goal return to truly set the world alight, Luton saw his potential and came calling last winter. Since then, Adebayo has flourished, scoring five goals in the second half of last season before doubling that total in the first half of this one.
Standing at 6’4”, the forward has been compared to Aleksandar Mitrovic and at just 24 years old has plenty of time to reach the Serbian’s level. Adebayo won’t be low on confidence coming into Wednesday night having scored two in his last three games.
Last Time Out: Luton Town 0-0 Reading, April 21 2021
These two sides are yet to meet this season after their December date, planned to be Reading’s 150th anniversary celebration game, had to be postponed due to a Covid outbreak in the Royals camp.
So instead we must cast our attention back to April 2021 when Reading came away from Kenilworth Road with a point after 90 minutes ended level at 0-0.
In truth, it was a match devoid of real quality as both sides struggled to create clear-cut chances. Luton did have an opportunity to win it late on but now departed Reading goalkeeper Rafael Cabral made a smart save to deny George Moncur.
In total, Reading and Luton have faced each other 57 times between 1921 and the present day, the Royals winning 26 of them, drawing nine, and losing 22.
Predicted Reading XI
(4-2-3-1)
Luke Southwood; Dejan Tetek, Tom Holmes, Josh Laurent, Ethan Bristow; Danny Drinkwater, Andy Rinomhota; Tom Dele-Bashiru, John Swift, Mamadi Camara; Lucas Joao
In reality, if Paunovic could put out the same team he did against Middlesbrough he probably would go with that. But the side we’ve gone with has two changes from that XI - two enforced changes.
Mamadi Camara was the one to replace Hoilett on Saturday and the exciting 18-year old should now be in line for his first Championship start.
Reading will also need to find someone to replace Carroll and while it’s a major risk considering he’s just returned from a lengthy injury (and has an extensive injury history) that man could well be Lucas Joao. The only other alternative is George Puscas and that’s clearly not the ideal solution.
Otherwise, all those who started on Saturday will likely keep their places whether it’s deserved or not. There is a chance that Morrison will be fit enough to start which would give Paunovic the option to move Laurent back to his natural midfield role.
How To Watch
The match has not been chosen for live TV coverage.
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