With just seven games of the season remaining, it really is crunch time, as we look to secure a play-off spot for the second time in three Championship seasons. On paper, we would appear favourites for the final spot in the play-offs, but with Forest, Ipswich and Brighton hot on our heels, we need to keep our foot on the pedal. Our opponents are Charlton, who are fighting at the other end of the table, but have come off the back of a big result against Leeds in midweek, winning 1-0 at Elland Road.
Vital Quotes:
Reading manager Nigel Adkins – ‘We know the importance now, games are running out. We’re in a great position in respect of being in the play-off positions. We talked at the start of the season about being in the race, especially come the last month when there are so many games. We’re certainly in there. It’s an exciting month coming up, and we should all look forward and get behind the lads.’
‘It’s interesting. A new manager has come in, they’ve changed it round and they’re on a good run of form. Forget the league table, and winning on Tuesday evening should give them confidence going into this next game. But we’re buoyed with the idea of going there and getting the three points that we need.’
Charlton Team News:
Charlton have a few injury worries in defence, with Chris Solly still out injured, while Leon Cort suffered a set back in his recent recovery. Apart from this, Jose Riga has a fully fit squad to choose from, as they plan to ease their relegation worries.
Player to watch: Reza Ghoochannejhad
The man with a name that could bring any kitman to tears, who has earned his big break in England and opened his goalscoring account in the week against Leeds. The forward is a former Dutch youth international, despite now playing for Iran, where he has 9 goals in 11 games.
Reading Team News:
Adkins could welcome back Wayne Bridge to the squad for the first time in over four months, after the left-back has successfully completed two weeks of training. Some good news though is that key midfielder Danny Guthrie returns from his two-game suspension.
Midfielder Mikele Leigertwood played 45 minutes for under 21s yesterday, but won’t be considered for this game. Fellow central midfielder Jem Karacan is still out for the season though, while Jason Roberts’ hip injury means that he won’t be playing again.
Player to watch: Danny Guthrie
It is quite obvious that we are much worse off without Guthrie in the side, with our last two games emphasising this, as we couldn’t keep the ball well enough. The former Newcastle man has great composure on the ball, that keeps our midfield ticking.
Match Facts & Stats
Charlton – 4-3-3: Hamer, Wilson, Morrison, Dervite, Wiggins, Jackson, Poyet, Cousins, Ajdarevic, Ghoochannejhad, Obika
Reading – 4-2-3-1: McCarthy, Gunter, Pearce, Morrison, Obita, Williams, Guthrie, McCleary, Drenthe, McAnuff, Pogrebnyak
Ref Watch:
The referee will be Andrew Madley, who has only refereed us once in his career, in a 2-0 loss at Ipswich in January. In that game, he also denied Jobi McAnuff a stonewall penalty, so will hopefully make amends in this game! The last Charlton game he refereed was against Nottingham Forest last season, where the Addicks lost 2-0 at home.
Match Prediction:
It some ways, it will be nice to get away from home, as we are having no luck at the Madejski at the moment. Charlton are more solid defensively, but I feel that we may have just too much on the counter attack for them, as the players will look to make up for their recent home woes.
Vital Reading prediction: Charlton 1 – 2 Reading
Next Fixtures:
Charlton – Yeovil (H) – Tuesday 8th April – SkyBet Championship
Reading – Bournemouth (A) – Tuesday 8th April – SkyBet Championship
