Reading have the chance to further consolidate their place in the Championship top-six when they travel to face managerless Birmingham City on Wednesday evening.
The Blues parted company with Aitor Karanka on Monday with the club dangerously close to the relegation places in 21st.
Birmingham are currently three points above the drop zone, but Rotherham United in 22nd have four games in hand to play.
It looks likely that former Blues player Lee Bowyer will be appointed as the new Birmingham manager in due course after he resigned from his position at Charlton Athletic.
Birmingham are in dreadful form with just one win from their last 12 Championship games which sees them in a tense relegation battle.
They have the least amount of wins (eight) of any side in the league other than bottom club Wycombe Wanderers and have struggled to find the net with just 26 goals in 36 games.
Meanwhile, Reading are on a run of four games without defeat and are currently five points inside the play-offs after they opened up the gap between them and Bournemouth after the Cherries were beaten by Barnsley who put themselves level on points with the Royals.
Reading boss Veljko Paunović is hoping to have some key players back available for Reading’s trip to the Midlands, but admitted that it is looking unlikely.
Andy Rinomhota, Michael Morrison and Ovie Ejaria all missed Reading’s draw at Nottingham Forest while long-term absentees John Swift and Felipe Araruna are also still recovering from injury.
“For now, it doesn’t look like it, but we will assess them again this week,” said Paunović when he was questioned about whether any of his key players are close to making a return.
“Maybe, finally, we will get a nice surprise.”
The Royals will need to be wary of Birmingham despite their lowly league position after they were beaten by the Blues at the Madejski Stadium earlier in the season.
Jon Toral netted twice in quick succession to give Birmingham an unlikely victory as Lucas João missed the chance to equalise from the penalty spot after Yakou Méïté had clawed a goal back.
