Reading and Colchester United will begin their preparations for the 2022-23 campaign with a behind-closed-doors friendly on Saturday afternoon.
The Royals finished 21st in the Championship last season, only narrowly avoiding relegation to the third tier of English football, while Colchester were 15th in League Two last term.
Match preview
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Reading have a busy pre-season in terms of matches, facing Benfica, Maidenhead United, West Ham United, AFC Wimbledon and Brighton & Hove Albion in their five games after this one.
The Royals will kick off their 2022-23 Championship campaign away to Blackpool on July 30, meanwhile, before facing Cardiff City ahead of a first-round EFL Cup contest with Stevenage on August 8.
Paul Ince's side finished 21st in the Championship last season, just four points ahead of 22nd-place Peterborough United, so they will once again play in the second tier next term.
Reading have brought in Tom Ince and Dean Bouzanis on free transfers this summer, while Joe Lumley has arrived on loan; a number of players have also departed, including John Swift, with the midfielder making the move to West Bromwich Albion on a free transfer.
The Royals have a small squad at this stage of pre-season, so a number of youngsters are likely to be given opportunities to impress, while the futures of Junior Hoilett and Femi Azeez are still unclear.
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Colchester, meanwhile, finished 15th in League Two last season, picking up 55 points from their 46 matches, which left them 17 points clear of the relegation zone.
The U's will again play in the fourth tier of English football next term, and they have pre-season fixtures against Reading, Millwall and Southend United in the diary before opening their league campaign away to Northampton Town on July 30.
Head coach Wayne Brown will want to have a good look at his squad in Saturday's affair, and there are expected to be a number of incomings and outgoings over the next few weeks.
Alex Newby was confirmed as the team's latest arrival on Tuesday, with the attacking midfielder moving from Rochdale, while Sam Hornby has completed a permanent move to the club from Bradford City.
The Essex outfit will be bidding to challenge higher up the League Two table next term, but Brown faces a huge task to make them contenders for a possible playoff spot.
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Team News
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Tom Ince has joined Reading on a permanent deal this summer after spending the second half of last season on loan with the club, and he is expected to be involved in this match.
Fellow new arrival Lumley should also start between the sticks, but there will again be a number of familiar faces in the home side's lineup for this match.
Tom McIntyre and Lucas Joao are both expected to be involved from the first whistle, while Tom Holmes and Jeriel Dorsett could also feature from the start.
As for Colchester, new signings Newby and Horby should both be involved, while Freddie Sears is set to lead the line for the Essex outfit.
There could potentially be some trialists on display for the visitors, but there will be a familiar look to the side, with Thomas Smith and Alan Judge set to feature.
Head coach Brown will want to have a good look at his squad over the course of pre-season, so it would not be a surprise to see different XIs take to the field for each half of this game.
Reading possible starting lineup:
Lumley; Holmes, McIntyre, Yiadom, Dorsett; Ejaria, Tetek, Camara; Joao, Clarke, Ince
Colchester United possible starting lineup:
Hornby; Clampin, Chambers, Smith, Eastman; Newby, Skuse, Judge, Huws; Sears, Akinde
We say: Reading 2-1 Colchester United
Colchester will be competitive opposition for Reading this weekend, but the Royals will be able to call upon superior players. We are not expecting a particularly high-scoring contest, predicting the Championship outfit to ran out 2-1 winners on the afternoon.
Matt Law
