Reading are looking for their first away points under interim manager Paul Ince on Tuesday as they travel to promotion pushing Bournemouth.
The Royals have lost three on the bounce after a promising win on debut for Ince against Birmingham.
In the two away matches under the stewardship of the former Manchester United and England midfielder, the side have conceded eight goals, four in each game, and only scored one.
They hover just four points above the relegation zone, with nearest rivals Barnsley coming up immediately after the international break.
Match hosts Bournemouth are sitting pretty in second place, with three games in hand over third place Huddersfield Town.
Despite dropping points against bottom-half Preston North End and Peterborough United, the Cherries picked up three points against struggling Derby County on Saturday.
Having conceded just 30 goals, the south-coast side have the meanest defence in the division, while the Royals have the joint-worst with 72 goals conceded.
Form
Scott Parker’s side sit fifth in the form table over the last 10 matches, with six wins and three defeats meaning that they have picked up 19 points- scoring 17 and conceding 10.
Meanwhile, Ince’s side sit second from bottom, with two wins and seven defeats seeing the club accumulate a measly seven points from a possible 30.
Last time out Reading travelled to play-off chasing Nottingham Forest. After going 1-0 down inside 20 seconds, the team ended up losing 4-0 at the City Ground in a performance the manager labelled “embarrassing.”
Team News
Reading could remain without midfield maestro John Swift and central defender Tom Holmes on Tuesday, with Ince confirming after the Forest defeat that the camp had been struggling with Covid-19 cases.
Star striker Lucas Joao, Swift, Holmes and new goalkeeper Orjan Nyland were all revealed to have struggled with the virus over the last fortnight.
Croatian midfielder Alen Halilovic was also reported to have been injured, however a cryptic Twitter post could suggest otherwise.
Last Time Out: Reading 0-2 Bournemouth, October 30 2021
Bournemouth maintained their five-point advantage at the summit of the Championship table with a comfortable win at the SCL Stadium in front of the Sky cameras.
Two goals either side of half-time from Dom Solanke and Jamal Lowe were enough to extend their unbeaten run to 15 matches.
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