On Saturday, Reading will try and extend their lead at the Championship summit as they travel to down the M4 to face Cardiff City.

Below we look at what you should know about the Bluebirds ahead of the fixture.

Recent Background

Cardiff are embarking on their second successive second tier season having been relegated from the Premier League in 2018/19.

Last season the side expected to bounce straight back under Neil Warnock but a slow start saw the veteran manager leave his post to be replaced by former Millwall manager Neil Harris.

With 15 games to go the side snuck into the top 10, and following a good run of form managed to haul themselves into the top six.

Five wins from the final seven saw the club cement their play-off place, ultimately finishing fifth.

A 3-2 aggregate defeat to Fulham meant the club had failed to bounce back immediately and had to rebuild as a Championship side.

The side have had a mixed start to 2020/21, with a win and a defeat in the league, as well as an EFL Cup Round One exit to Northampton Town.

Key Players

Having only recently been relegated out of the Premier League, the squad remains one of the strongest on paper.

In goal they have former QPR stopper Alex Smithies, who was one of the best goalkeepers in the league during his spell with the R’s, especially in terms of reflexes and shot stopping.

The back line is a relatively settled one at the Cardiff City Stadium, with former Royal Sean Morrison having been first choice at the club for the last six years.

Alongside Morrison is the choice of former Bristol City captain Aden Flint or Oxford United skipper Curtis Nelson.

Joe Bennett at left-back has played almost 150 times for the club, and Arsenal loanee Jordi Osei-Tutu is likely to be on the other flank.

Going forward into midfield the club are well stocked, with experienced Championship players such as Joe Ralls, Marlon Pack and Will Vaulks in the middle.

Junior Hoilett and Josh Murphy offer width and end product from wide, whilst the likes of Callum Paterson and in-form Kieffer Moore are more than capable of scoring from centre-forward.

Head-to-Head

The sides have met 72 times, with Reading winning 26, losing 23 and drawing 23.

The most memorable encounters between the two include Reading’s first appearance in an FA Cup Semi-Final, losing 3-0 to the eventual winners at Molineux in 1927.

In more recent memory, goalkeeper Adam Federici scored a last minute equalizer against Dave Jones’ side on Boxing Day 2008 at the Madejski.

Last season the two sides met four times, and Cardiff failed to win any of them.

A 3-0 Madejski win in August acted as a false dawn for Royals fans as it looked like the team would kick on following one of the best performances of last season, which could easily have finished with Reading scoring five with George Puscas’ missed one-on-one and a missed Yakou Meite penalty.

The return league match finished 1-1 as Meite gave the Royals an early lead before conceding in the second half.

The FA Fourth Round put Reading and Cardiff together, and a 1-1 draw in RG2 was followed by a 3-3 draw in Wales, with Mark Bowen’s changed team winning on penalties.

Odds

According to Sky Bet, Reading are 5/2 for a win, Cardiff are 21/20 and a draw is 5/2, with all odds being correct at time of writing.