Reading are back in action on Saturday afternoon (3PM Kick Off) when they travel the short distance to West London to face QPR.
Veljko Paunovic’s side are still seaching for their first win of 2022, having started the year with five defeats and one draw in all competitions. In fact, the Royals’ last victory came in November when they beat Swansea City 3-2 in Wales.
QPR, meanwhile, sit fourth in the Championship table, just four points adrift of the automatic promotion spots.
Team News
Reading received plenty of positive news on the injury front this week with long-term absentees Yakou Meite and Tom McIntyre closing in on returns to the first team picture.
Meite played 45 minutes of the U23s defeat to Aston Villa on Monday evening but the clash with QPR will come too soon for both the forward and defender.
Ovie Ejaria, missing through a groin problem and Covid since the November defeat to Sheffield United, is expected to be in contention on Saturday but Alen Halilovic and Scott Dann will need more time to recover from their respective hamstring injuries.
Femi Azeez and Dejan Tetek are both set for extended spells on the sidelines while Paunovic said in his Thursday press conference that Felip Araruna’s season is finished after having surgery on his knee.
Meanwhile, Junior Hoilett and Liam Moore will both miss the game due to international duty.
QPR will be without Ilias Chair, Seny Dieng, and Andre Gray after the trio were selected for their international teams while Sam McCallum and Jordan Archer will be absent through injury.
New signing Dion Sanderson, brought in on loan from Wolves, is fit and available to play a part this weekend.
Form Guide
Veljko Paunovic promised Reading fans that it would be a difficult January and while you could argue it’s been a case of self-fulflling prophecy, the manager has been proven correct in his prediction.
Reading have earned just one point out of 15 so far in the month of January. Meanwhile, they’ve conceded 17 goals and scored six. Last time out they were beaten 4-3 by Huddersfield Town in a thrilling albeit ultimately disappointing defeat for the Royals.
Last Five: LLLLD
QPR enter Saturday with almost the complete opposite form to Reading having started 2022 on fire.
Mark Warburton’s side have won four and drawn one of their last five. In that time, they’ve kept two clean sheets and conceded just three goals. They have, however, scored seven goals of their own.
Going back slightly further, QPR have won eight of their last 12 Championship matches, placing them firmly in the race for automatic promotion. Last time out, they drew 0-0 with Swansea City - perhaps offering Reading a glimmer of hope.
Last Five: DWWWW
Opposition Danger Man: Chris Willock
The younger brother of former Arsenal attacker Joe Willock, Chris is firmly establishing his own name as one of the Championship’s most dangerous players this season.
After growing up in the Arsenal academy, Willock left the Gunners to join Benfica where he played 64 times for the Portuguese club’s B team. Loans to West Brom and Huddersfield saw Willock gain his first taste of semi-consistent first-team football on British soil.
In October 2020 QPR came calling and the £750,000 spent to bring Willock to West London now looks a bargain. The attacking midfielder made 38 appearances last season, scoring three goals and supplying five assists.
He has already crushed those totals this year, managing six goals and seven assists in 25 appearances thus far. Seemingly improving by the game, Willock has notched one goal and three assists in his last four games.
Last Time Out: Reading 3-3 QPR, September 11th, 2021
When these two sides met in the autumn they played out a truly thrilling stalemate although Reading will certainly feel it was a case of two points dropped rather one gained.
A Michael Morrison own goal gave the visitors an early lead, but Reading hit back to take a 3-1 advantage thanks to John Swift’s hat-trick.
Just when it seemed it would be a crucial victory for Paunovic and his men, QPR struck in the 79th and 91st minutes to rescue a point. Of course, this time around, I’m sure most Reading fans would happily accept a draw.
Predicted Reading XI
Southwood; Yiadom, Holmes, Morrison, Baba Rahman; Drinkwater, Laurent, Rinomhota; Dele-Bashiru, Swift; Joao
While the Reading squad looks slightly healthier than it has in past weeks, Paunovic’s choices are still limited. Last weekend against Huddersfield, he began with a 5-3-2 before moving Josh Laurent into midfield.
When asked about the benefits of playing two strikers up front, Paunovic pointed to the defensive frailties a system like that can bring and as such we think the manager will opt for a slightly more conservative approach.
Luke Southwood should keep his place in goal although there’s significant unknown as to his role going forward after the arrival of Arsenal loanee Karl Hein. The back four will likely remain unchanged, as should the midfield three.
However, there could well be a start for Tom Dele-Bashiru in place of George Puscas if Paunovic does indeed decide to play just one striker.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here