In a match that could impact both the race for promotion and the fight for survival in League One, Reading are set to host Shrewsbury Town for a must-win game at the Select Car Leasing Stadium on Tuesday.
The Royals will be hoping that a disastrous January is well and truly behind them as they look to leapfrog Bolton Wanderers and Charlton Athletic to climb into the playoff spots.
Match preview
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Noel Hunt's Reading have started February with a win and a draw, ending a five-game winless run across all competitions that featured four consecutive losses last month.
The four points that the Royals picked up against Huddersfield Town and Bolton over the last couple of matchdays have left them eighth in the table, just two points behind the Trotters and sixth-placed Charlton.
That being said, it remains to be seen whether Hunt's side can go without defeat for a third game on the bounce for the first time in 2025, especially considering that they also started January with a win and a draw before their form collapsed.
In the hosts' favour is their excellent record at the Select Car Leasing Stadium - where they have won 10 and lost three in League One this term - that contrasts starkly with their dire away form that includes just three victories all season in the third tier.
In midweek, Reading will be feeling the pressure to keep up with their promotion rivals, and they must take maximum points against one of the division's poorest sides if they are to remain serious contenders.
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Meanwhile, Gareth Ainsworth's Shrewsbury may have started February at the foot of the table, but they have since climbed to 22nd and are within four points of 20th-placed Peterborough United after earning back-to-back wins for the first time this season.
Last time out, the Shrews beat Rotherham United 2-1 on the road thanks to goals from Taylor Perry and John Marquis, and they could draw some confidence from the character they showed to find a winner immediately after conceding Hakeem Odoffin's 76th-minute equaliser.
That result represented a first away victory in almost four months for Tuesday's visitors, who ran out 5-3 winners in a dramatic clash against fellow strugglers Crawley Town back on October 12.
However, having lost just three of their last 10 games, it is notable that Ainsworth's side have been considerably better at the turn of the year than in the months prior, when they lost nine out of their 10 matches between mid-October and mid-December.
With this in mind, Shrewsbury are capable of frustrating their hosts in midweek, and may even earn an important point that could be a difference maker at the end of the season.
Team News
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Reading are will miss centre-back Harlee Dean on Tuesday after he was withdrawn with an injury last time out, so expect Amadou Salif Mbenge to line up alongside Tyler Bindon in front of goalkeeper Joel Pereira.
Further forward, Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan and striker Sam Smith could return to the starting XI in place of left-winger Mamadi Camara and central forward Jayden Wareham.
As for Shrewsbury, centre-back Toto Nsiala will be available once again after serving a suspension against Rotherham, and he could start beside Josh Feeney and Aaron Pierre in midweek.
In attack, Taylor Perry and John Marquis – both of whom scored on Saturday - will be joined by striker George Lloyd, while Dominic Gape and Alex Gilliead will patrol the middle third.
Reading possible starting lineup:
Pereira; Craig, Mbenge, Bindon, Garcia; Knibbs, Wing, Savage; Campbell, Smith, Ehibhatiomhan
Shrewsbury Town possible starting lineup:
Blackman; J Feeney, Nsiala, Pierre; Hoole, Gape, Gilliead, Benning; Perry; Marquis, Lloyd
We say: Reading 2-1 Shrewsbury Town
Both sides have started February well and will be desperate for a positive result in midweek to put pressure on the sides above them in the table.
However, Reading have been particularly strong at the Select Car Leasing Stadium, and their home support is likely to push them to another three points on Tuesday.
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