YANN Kermorgant and John Swift will undergo a late fitness test as Reading FC prepare to host Sheffield Wednesday tomorrow (3pm ko).

Midfield ace Swift limped out of Tuesday night's 2-2 draw at Bolton with a recurring hamstring injury.

Kermorgant, who only recently returned from groin and hip surgery in the summer, was forced to miss the trip to the Macron Stadium after hurting his hip again in last weekend's 2-0 home defeat to Wolves.

Boss Jaap Stam will now assess the pair's fitness before naming his squad for tomorrow's Championship clash at Madejski Stadium.

"Swift has been very good for us lately," stated Stam. "He had his rest because we were aware of the hamstring injuries he's had.

"He didn't do a lot of training or too much hard work - but playing a lot of games in a short period can have an affect on players.

"Yann had a problem after the Wolves game with his hip after a block tackle. It's not bad and it's got nothing to do with his previous injury. He's feeling ok now, so hopefully he'll be in contention for Saturday."

Reading Chronicle:

Reading midfielder, John Swift.

The availability of Reading keeper Vito Mannone remains unclear after the Italian stopper withdrew from Tuesday night's squad due to 'personal reasons.'

If the ex-Sunderland star is unavailable for selection he will be replaced by Anssi Jaakkola for the second match running.

"Vito left the camp with a family situation," explained Stam. "He had to go back home, family is very important for everyone."

However, Royals are due to welcome back midfielder Joey van den Berg from a one-match suspension, with fit-again Liam Kelly ready to step in for Swift should the ex-England Under 21 ace fail his fitness test.

Stam's team selections have been criticised by Royals fans recently, particularly when he has named a starting XI without a recognised striker.

But he explained his hands were tied due to injuries to his two main frontmen, Jon Dadi Bodvarsson and Kermorgant.

"Jon Dadi has been out for six weeks and only trained one day," he said. "So you can't start with him after only one training session or he might get injured again. We need to be wise in when to use him.

"If everyone is fit of course, you can make different choices. But sometimes as a manager you don't have a choice and you need to think about your players and who to start with at different times."

Reading Chronicle:

Reading manager Jaap Stam.

One key area for improvement is Reading's defence as Stam's men have kept only one clean sheet in their last 12 Championship games.

Royals have conceded 18 goals in that period and scored 15 times, resulting in just three victories.

Sheffield Wednesday's form has picked up recently, with only one defeat in their last seven games helping them climb to within four points of the play-offs, with Royals languishing down in 19th.

And boss Carlos Carvalhal has no fresh injury concerns and is likely to name an unchanged side to the one that drew 2-2 at Ipswich Town on Wednesday night.

Stam added: “I think we’ve got chances against every team, including Sheffield Wednesday. We know they’ve got a good team, they’ve shown that last season and this season.

“We believe in ourselves as well that we can do well against anyone, and it’s the same on Saturday.

"We are going to go for it, hopefully we can show ourselves and get the win.”

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