Tuesday 16th March 2010
The Coca Cola Championship
The Madejski Stadium
Referee: G L Ward
Kick-off: 20:00
Reading (16th) V Queens Park Rangers (15th)
By The Godfather

I was pleased with the result on Saturday afternoon. Sheffield United are play-off contenders, and I'm sure most supporters would have taken a point before the match at Bramall Lane. After only a few weeks under the leadership of Warnock, QPR are already showing signs of improvement in every area of the pitch. What has been most striking, however, is how well Adel Taraabt has performed. Let's hope that he continues to shine on Tuesday night, when the Rs travel to face an in-form Reading side at the Madejski Stadium.

Reading

Manager: Brian McDermott

Season 2008-09 finish: 4th place.

Earlier on in the campaign, it did look like Reading were one of the favourites to face relegation. However, since Brian McDermott replaced Brendan Rodgers as manager, things have improved dramatically. In fact, the Royals have won seven of the last eight league matches, propelling the club out of the drop zone and into mid-table security. This superb form, coupled with an excellent FA Cup run, which saw McDermott's men beat Liverpool at Anfield, has restored the feeling of optimism around the Madejski Stadium.

However, Reading must not allow complacency to creep into their performances. There is still much work to be done. After all, the Royals are only six points clear of the drop-zone (with the same points total as QPR), and could easily fall back into serious trouble. There is no doubt that McDermott will be viewing this fixture, against one of the club's rivals, as absolutely crucial.

Men to watch

Shane Long is likely to be Reading's main attacking threat on Tuesday night. The 23 year-old, who has made 10 appearances for the Irish national team, has netted 8 goals this season. The former Cork City man has played for the Royals since 2005, making over 100 starts.

Grzegorz Rasiak could partner Long in attack. The former Derby and Tottenham striker is perhaps best known for his spell at Southampton, where he notched 24 goals in 65 appearances. The Polish international signed for Reading last summer. At the age of 31, he offers experience to the Royals’ frontline.

On the wing, expect to see Jobi McAnuff start. The 28 year-old has bags of experience in the Championship, having played for Crystal Palace and Watford. McAnuff signed for the Royals during the summer for an undisclosed fee and brings pace and skill to the team’s attack.

In central midfield, the Royals' top scorer, Gylfie Sigurdsson, will probably retain his position in the starting line-up. The 20 year-old is clearly incredibly talented, having scored 12 goals so far this campaign. A product of Reading's youth academy, Sigurdsson has also enjoyed successful loan spells with Shrewsbury and Crewe.

Jimmy Kébé could play alongside Sigurdsson in the heart of midfield. The 26 year-old signed for Reading in 2008 from Lens and has since made 55 appearances for the club. The Malian international has eight caps to his name.

McDermott might also select versatile midfielder, Jay Tabb, in his starting line-up. The 26 year-old enjoyed successful spells with Brentford and Coventry City before joining Reading in January 2009.

At the back, McDermott is likely to play club captain and former Brentford and Wolves defender, Ivar Ingimarsson. The Icelandic international has made over 200 appearances for the Royals since signing for the club in 2003. As a reliable and experienced centre half, expect to see the 32 year-old provide the QPR forwards with a stern test on Tuesday evening.

In goal, Adam Federici will probably keep his starting place. The Australian keeper has finally been able to gain a first team place after the departure of Marcus Hahnemann. The 25 year-old is not a goalkeeper I rate particularly highly - perhaps the QPR centre forwards can expose his weaknesses on Tuesday night.

Previous Match

November 2009 (extract from match report) - In my match preview of this fixture I said that if QPR could produce a similar performance to that of (the Preston game), they would deal out another thrashing. That’s exactly what happened. Despite the bizarre sending off of Ben Watson, the Rs ran riot against a dire Reading side, scoring four goals with a combination of quality passing, pace and skill. At the moment things are certainly looking very promising at Loftus Road.

I don’t wish to take anything away from Queens Park Rangers’ superb performance, but I could see why Reading are struggling at the foot of the Championship league table. In short, some of their players simply didn’t look interested. Jimmy Kebe and Jobi McAnuff were the only ones who seemed to pose any sort of a threat. I was also surprised at the way the Royals threw away their one-man advantage so quickly, Ivar Ingimarsson deservedly being shown a red card moments into the second half.

QPR Manager, Jim Magilton: "It was a poor sending-off. It's the letter of the law but common sense must prevail. We are all grown men. It (Rodgers' position) is horrendous. I've been there, and I was ninth in the table at the time. So I have a great deal of sympathy for him because you have to take the brunt of it, and you have to carry the can and he'll be up all night thinking about it".

Queens Park Rangers 4-1 Reading

QPR Team News

Marcus Bent is likely to miss out again, as Warnock can only name five loanees in his squad. Gavin Mahon and Martin Rowlands remain long-term absentees.

Prediction

Reading looked absolutely abysmal last November, a team devoid of passion, energy and creativity. Now, they are a different proposition, with the players inspired by Brian McDermott. Of course, QPR will also be feeling confident with new boss, Neil Warnock, at the helm. This is very much an encounter between two in-form teams, and I wouldn't be surprised if the result was a draw, albeit an entertaining one.

Reading 0-0 Queens Park Rangers