Match Preview: Reading vs Leeds United

After the long journey to Luton on Saturday its another trek to the south for the Whites in a mid-week tough fixture away to Reading. Leeds will be hoping that this second trip down south will be as successful as the last one, Leeds came out as 2-1 winners in Luton over the weekend.

An important performance from Patrick Bamford gave the Whites 3 points to take back up north on Saturday, the number nine opened the scoring for Leeds and looked as if had sealed the win in stoppage time but it seems to have gone down as an own-goal.

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The win on Saturday took Leeds back into the top two of the Championship, two points behind league leaders West Brom and three points clear of third placed Preston North End. Leeds could move top if they win in Reading tomorrow night and West Brom drop points when they host Bristol City on Wednesday.

Leeds are approaching a very vital stage in a promotion race, how you get on during the incredibly cramped Christmas period is usually a huge indication of who will be up there come the business end of the season. Leeds will play six fixtures in the month of December and the results will be massively important, so three points in the fixtures going into the month will be just as vital.

READING

Tomorrow’s opponents sit in 18th place, just four points above the drop zone and will be eager to gain the three points at home to try and climb the table before their own busy December schedule.

Reading are not coming into this fixture in the form a relegation threatened team having picked up 10 points in their previous five fixtures, The Royals, who have graced the premier league in recent years, will be disappointed with their current league position and will be looking to improve on that tomorrow night.

Despite struggling for goals this season, Reading did pay up for Romanian forward George Puscas over the summer, a £7 million fee from Italian giants Inter Milan. Puscas has so far scored four times for Reading this season, one of which coming in the cup. The Royals will be hoping their expensive signing will start hitting the net more if they want to climb the table.

TEAM NEWS

Marcelo Bielsa indicated it would be the same 18 as the trip to Luton over the weekend, that will face Reading tomorrow evening. Eddie Nketiah is still out injured but will return to training with the team on Thursday, Liam Cooper played half an hour on Saturday but isnt a guaranteed starter according to Beilsa

““Probably he will start. I’m not 100 per cent sure but probably he will play,” said Bielsa.

“He played 30 minutes in the last match, today he has trained and we’re going to wait to see how he is.

“But if he doesn’t start, Berardi will start, he has played correctly in the last match.”

Jack Clarke made his first league appearance of the season off the bench at the weekend and will be in the squad again tomorrow. The youngster who was sold to Tottenham over the summer but returned on a season long loan has had a slow start to the 19/20 season after his breakthrough last season.

Rumours of the loan deal being cut short in January were surfacing but Bielsa has been impressed recently with the winger.

““In the second match that he played with England, he had a very good performance,”

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PREDICTION

Any away fixture in this league is a difficult one, especially mid-week so tomorrow night will be no easy task for the Whites as they search for their fourth win in a row after defeating Luton, Blackburn and QPR in their previous three fixtures, a win would also see United be on a seven game unbeaten run.

Reading will be motivated for this fixture, in a bad position in the league and the need for points being high, you would imagine they will be difficult to break down so Leeds will need to put their all in tomorrow night.

I do think Leeds will come away with the three points and will go for a 2-0 Leeds win!