It has been a miserable league campaign, full of disappointment and woe – this is our last shot at redemption to make something of our season, with a potential trip to Wembley and edging nearing to the impossible of winning the FA Cup. In our way are the cup giant-killer slayers, Bradford City, who have already seen off Sunderland and Chelsea in the competition this season. Steve Clarke’s men have not had it as glamorous, winning three away from home against Championship opposition. The goal is the same though, a Wembley date is on the horizon for the Bantams or the Royals – who will seize the moment?
Vital Quotes:
Reading manager Steve Clarke – “What Bradford have achieved in the competition so far is fantastic. It`s up to us to go there and spoil the party. We`ve done well in the cup so far, no glamour ties but three tough games at Championship opposition. We are where we are and we deserve to be there. We look forward to the game and we travel with 100% confidence. We know what to expect, there won`t be any surprises. I watched them play Sunderland and they were excellent from the first minute to the last. They were much better than Sunderland on the day.’
Bradford boss Phil Parkinson – ‘I’m really looking forward to it. I’ll see a lot of friends who are coming up for the game but, once the dressing room door closes, there’s no sentiment at all. We’ll be doing everything we can to progress us into the next round. We wanted a home draw and we got it and to be playing one of my old clubs is personally special. But it will be a special day because it’s a game of such importance. It was a great privilege to do well in that poll. I had a fantastic period there and I’m very honoured to be part of the club that moved from Elm Park to the Madejski Stadium, to be part of that transition and to see the club develop over the years.’
Bradford Team News:
Bradford boss Phil Parkinson rested a large number of his key players on Tuesday night. Key midfielder Gary Liddle will return, after returning from a two-game suspension. Winger Filipe Morais will be given a late fitness test for a knee problem suffered two weeks ago.
Player to watch: Jon Stead
The 31-year old has had an incredible record of scoring in every stage of the competition so far, making him joint top scorer with five goals. He has formed a good partnership with the towering James Hanson, with the both of them carrying notable aerial threat.
Reading Team News:
Steve Clarke has said the only new injury concern coming into this game is goal-shy forward Simon Cox, who picked up an ankle knock against Bolton. Skipper Jem Karacan is still not ready to return, while defender Anton Ferdinand is still absent through injury.
Player to watch: Jamie Mackie
The on-loan Forest man has been the unlikely hero in recent games and is likely to be rewarded with a start here. This game is likely to be one of passion and grit over quality, and Mackie falls perfectly into that bracket.
Expected line-ups:
Bradford – 4-4-2: Williams; Darby, McArdle, Davies, Meredith; Morais, Liddle, Knott, Clarke; Stead, Hanson.
Reading – 4-2-3-1: Federici; Gunter, Pearce, Hector, Obita; Williams, Chalobah; McCleary, Mackie, Robson-Kanu; Pogrebnyak.
Ref Watch:
The man in the middle will be Premier League referee Lee Mason, who last officiated the Royals back in March 2013, in our previous top division campaign, as we lost 1-0 to Manchester United. We were denied a blatant penalty that day when Mariappa was hauled to the floor by Vidic, hopefully he will want to make amends!
Match Prediction:
Reading in a big game? I have no right to be confident, but I don’t think we are the team that Bradford will want to face, especially as they are no longer seen as the underdog. If Bradford want a battle, I think we can give them one. I don’t think either team will want or play for a replay, so I expect an open game, but for us to come out on top and to march onto Wembley.
Vital Reading prediction: Bradford 1 – 3 Reading
Next Fixtures:
Bradford – Coventry (A) – Tues 10th March – SkyBet League One
Reading – Brighton (H) – Tues 10th March – SkyBet Championship
