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Reading will be looking to reverse their woeful home form when fellow strugglers Bolton Wanderers come to Madejski Stadium this evening (8pm).
Both sides are in relegation trouble, sitting side-by-side in 18th and 19th place in the Championship table with just goal difference separating the pair.
With 34 points apiece, there is a four-point gap between them and the relegation zone, but with 11 league fixtures scheduled this evening, the losers could slip perilously close to the bottom three.
Who else is in action?
While Reading and Bolton do battle, the other sides around them will all be doing their best
to haul themselves towards safety.
The bottom three all face sides hoping to be promoted. Sunderland have a tough test at home to Aston Villa, Birmingham, boosted by the arrival of new boss Garry Monk, host Middlesbrough while Burton Albion take on Brentford at the Pirelli Stadium.
Hull City are also at home, hosting Millwall, while Sheffield Wednesday welcome Ipswich Town to Hillsborough. Barnsley look to have the trickiest assignment, with a trip to second-placed Cardiff City.
Form
It is fair to say Reading and Bolton are two of the sides scrabbling around for points more than most in the Championship.
The Royals have won just one of their last 14 league matches, away at Burton in January and have not won at home since November.
But Bolton are the worst travellers in the division, picking up just nine points from their 16 matches, scoring only nine goals in the process.
That said, they have improved on their early season form which had threatened to see them cut adrift with notable wins over Cardiff, Sheffield United and Bristol City in recent months.
Previous meetings
Reading were indebted to a last minute Anssi Jaakkola save to earn a point in the reverse fixture back in November.
The Finn made his only Championship appearance to date at the Macron and played his part in the 2-2 draw as Royals battled back from 2-0 behind to level through Liam Moore and Leandro Bacuna.
The last time the two teams clashed at the Mad Stad was in November 2015 where goals from Lucas Piazon and Danny Williams earned a 2-1 home victory.
Reading are unbeaten in seven matches against Bolton since Premier League defeat in 2008.
Team news
While Reading’s game with Wolves was snowed off, Bolton were in action on Saturday as they lost 3-1 at home to Preston North End.
Phil Parkinson has promised to ring the changes tonight after that disappointing display with Karl Henry and Mark Davies both in contention following suspensions, but Sammy Ameobi could miss out with a back injury.
As for Reading, they are set to welcome back John Swift (hamstring), Yann Kermorgant (calf) and Sone Aluko (illness) to the squad following last Tuesday night’s 3-1 loss to Sheffield United.
Reading could also face a string of familiar faces. As well as boss Parkinson, a number of players are former Royals including Jem Karacan, Andrew Taylor and Adam Le Fondre.
What they said
Parkinson: “Last year Reading probably over-achieved getting to the play-off final, penalty kicks away from the Premier League.
“There is always a fall-out from losing that game. I experienced it myself as a player.
“Also, I think the way they played, teams have had a year to look at them and can now set themselves up differently.
“They maybe expected a downturn but not to the extent it has happened.
“We have to exploit that and create an edginess in the ground.” (Bolton News)
Stam: “It’s not going to be easy against Bolton – we know what they can bring to the
game. We know their team, and like us, they want to be higher up the table.
“They have quality and ability in their squad, as well as physicality. We need to match that, and then believe in ourselves.
“It’s a big game for both teams and I expect it’ll be a lively game as well.”
Odds
The bookmakers have Reading as big favourites to clinch just a fourth home league win of the season, priced at 4/5 for victory.
Bolton are 18/5 to come away with all three points while the draw is 12/5.
Both teams to score is at 23/20 while the trio of Jon Dadi Bodvarsson, Chris Martin and Mo Barrow are all deemed as the likeliest first scorers with odds of 9/2.
Follow @WokinghamSport and @TomJCrocker on Twitter this evening for updates from the ground and post-match reaction.
