Preview: Fulham vs. Reading

Two sides separated by just one place and a couple of points go head to head on Saturday as Fulham host Reading at Craven Cottage.

It is the visitors who hold the narrow advantage over their weekend opponents, and they will also go into the match with the greater confidence having shown improvement under new boss Steve Clarke.

A respectable goalless draw against high-flying Middlesbrough last time out made it four matches unbeaten, while they have kept back-to-back clean sheets having only managed one in their previous eight outings before that.

However, the Royals have only won one away game since August and just two all season, managing a meagre nine points from a possible 36 on the road.

Nick Blackman is pushing for a start this weekend having replaced Pavel Pogrebnyak before the hour against Middlesbrough, while Jem Karacan could be involved from the bench again.

Reading will take heart from the reverse fixture between these two sides, when they ran out 3-0 winners at the Madejski, while their last visit to Craven Cottage saw them put four past Fulham.

Kit Symons's side were not exactly defensively sound in midweek either, playing out a 3-3 thriller with Wolverhampton Wanderers in an FA Cup replay that saw Ross McCormack net a 122nd-minute equaliser before the Cottagers won the resulting shootout.

That goal rush was uncharacteristic of a Fulham side that had failed to score in their previous four outings before that, and they will be hoping that their renewed proficiency in the final third continues this weekend.

The Cottagers have lost their last three league games and have not scored in the Championship since before Christmas, a run that has seen them slide back down to within five points of the relegation zone.

They have not lost four on the bounce without scoring since September 1971 and will be desperate to avoid that unwanted record on Saturday.

They have been very hit-and-miss at Craven Cottage so far this season, though, and need McCormack and Hugo Rodallega to return to form if they are to gain a bit of consistency.

Those two should lead the line for this match, while Lasse Vigen Christensen is pushing for a start in midfield.

Fulham:

Form in Championship: LWWLLL Form in all competitions: WLLDLW

Possible starting lineup: Bettinelli; Grimmer, Hutchinson, Bodurov, Stafylidis; Ruiz, Parker, Williams, Christensen; Rodallega, McCormack

Reading:

Form in Championship: DLLDWD Form in all competitions: LLDWWD

Possible starting lineup: Federici; Gunter, Pearce, Hector, Obita; Mackie, Williams, Norwood, Robson-Kanu; Cox; Blackman

Sports Mole says: 2-3