MX23RW : Sunday, November 24 12:22:54| >> :600:161355:161355:
[monks data]
Reading logo
Championship
Sep 13, 2014 at 3pm UK
 
Fulham logo

3-0

Murray (15', 54'), Blackman (85')
FT(HT: 1-0)

Preview: Reading vs. Fulham

Sports Mole previews Saturday's Championship clash between Reading and struggling Fulham at the Madejski Stadium.

Fulham will be looking to build on their slight recent improvement when they travel to the Madejski Stadium to take on Reading in the Championship this Saturday.

The Cottagers made a dreadful start to life back in the second tier, losing their opening four matches to leave themselves languishing at the bottom of the table.

They reached their nadir in a 5-1 drubbing at the hands of a ruthless Derby County, conceding four second-half goals to throw away a 1-1 scoreline.

However, the only way was up from that stage, and that has proved to be the case so far for Felix Magath's side as they won in the League Cup before picking up their first point of the season against Cardiff City in their last outing.

The German manager will be hoping that a first league victory is not much further behind, and he will have been pleased with the club's activity towards the end of the transfer window.

The most notable signing was Matt Smith, and he could be reunited with former Leeds United teammate and fellow summer recruit Ross McCormack up front this weekend.

With so many outgoings in the window, it was something of a surprise to see Bryan Ruiz stay at Craven Cottage, but the Costa Rican is unavailable this weekend due to international duty.

Aside from that, only Adam Taggart is absent for the visitors as Magath looks to pick up another result that may improve his job security that little bit more.

Reading, meanwhile, have been inconsistent in the league so far this season, picking up two victories, a draw and two defeats from their opening five matches.

The Royals edged past Middlesbrough 1-0 in their last outing, and Nigel Adkins will have been happy with his side's response to the hammering they received at the hands of Nottingham Forest a week previously.

The challenge for them now is to make it two wins in a row - something they have managed just once in the Championship since February.

Reading were one of the quieter teams in this summer's transfer window, but a deadline-day loan move for Glenn Murray has given Adkins more options up front.

Elsewhere, Adkins may be forced into using youngsters yet again, with Danny Guthrie, Stephen Kelly, Hal Robson-Kanu, Nick Blackman, Pavel Pogrebnyak, Shaun Cummings, Craig Tanner and Anton Ferdinand among those struggling with injuries.

The hosts could name an unchanged side this weekend, then, with the match winner against Middlesbrough Simon Cox leading the line alongside Jamie Mackie once again.

Recent form

Reading: WWLLWW

Fulham: LLLLWD

Possible starting lineups

Reading: Federici; Gunter, Hector, Pearce, Obita; Edwards, Kuhl, Norwood, Taylor; Cox, Mackie

Fulham: Bettinelli; Hoogland, Burn, Bodurov; Stafylidis; David, Parker, Eisfeld, Roberts; Smith, McCormack

Sports Mole says: 2-1


ID:176189: cacheID:176189:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:7271:No Data Analysis info

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Restore Data
Share this article now:
Reading manager Nigel Adkins looks on during the match against Ipswich on August 3, 2013
Read Next:
Adkins not finished in transfer market
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
6pm
Vikings
@
Bears
6pm
Lions
@
Colts
6pm
Patriots
@
Dolphins
6pm
Buccaneers
@
Giants
6pm
Chiefs
@
Panthers
6pm
Titans
@
Texans
6pm
Cowboys
@
Washington
9.05pm
Broncos
@
Raiders
9.25pm
49ers
@
Packers
9.25pm
Cardinals
@
Seahawks
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Wycombe WanderersWycombe15112235181735
2Wrexham1694325111431
3Stockport CountyStockport1786329171230
4Birmingham CityBirmingham1493226151130
5Huddersfield TownHuddersfield158252315826
6Barnsley167542420426
7Lincoln CityLincoln167542320326
8Reading158252422226
9Bolton WanderersBolton158252425-126
10Mansfield TownMansfield147342016424
11Exeter CityExeter157261413123
12Peterborough UnitedPeterborough166373229321
13Bristol Rovers166371721-421
14Charlton AthleticCharlton155461617-119
15Stevenage165471116-519
16Northampton TownNorthampton164661821-318
17Wigan AthleticWigan154561312117
18Rotherham UnitedRotherham164571419-517
19Blackpool164572230-817
20Crawley TownCrawley174491527-1216
21Leyton Orient154381418-415
22Cambridge UnitedCambridge153391324-1112
23Shrewsbury TownShrewsbury1632111629-1311
24Burton Albion151591528-138


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!