Reading will go into Saturday's match away to Huddersfield Town knowing that anything less than a win could see them slip out of the playoff positions.

The Royals currently occupy sixth place in the Championship table, but just three points separate them from ninth-placed Ipswich in a six-team battle for the bottom two playoff spots.

Reading fell to a surprise 2-1 home defeat to Bournemouth in their last outing, ending a four-match unbeaten streak that had seen them take points off fellow promotion candidates Queens Park Rangers and Nottingham Forest.

Nigel Adkins's side have won just one of their last five matches on their travels, although that victory did come against Forest in their last away game.

The visitors will be without Wayne Bridge and Jem Karacan for the match but could restore Pavel Pogrebnyak and Royston Drenthe to the starting lineup. Danny Guthrie will be forced to watch on from the sidelines having been shown his fifth yellow card of the season last Saturday.

Huddersfield, meanwhile, are not amongst the pack of teams who could finish Saturday in the top six, but their recent good form has brought them to within five points of the playoff places.

Mark Robins's side were beaten 2-1 by Ipswich in their last match, ending a run of three consecutive victories for the Yorkshire outfit.

Jon Stead and Peter Clarke are doubts for the hosts, which means that they could name an unchanged side despite losing last weekend.

Recent form

Huddersfield: LLWWWL

Reading: LDDWWL

Possible starting lineups

Huddersfield: Smithies; Smith, Lynch, Gerrard; Dixon, Norwood, Hogg, Clayton, Hammill; Paterson, Vaughan

Reading: McCarthy; Gunter, Pearce, Gorkss, Cummings; Williams, McAnuff, Drenthe; Robson-Kanu, Pogrebnyak, McCleary

Sports Mole says: 2-2

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