Off to a sluggish start in league and cup, troubled Reading will seek to steady the ship when they host Preston North End at the Select Car Leasing Stadium on Saturday.
While the visitors were also beaten on the opening day of the Championship, they bounced back to progress in the EFL Cup during the week, but the Royals crashed out; losing 3-0 to Swansea.
Match preview
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Despite playing in front of an unrestricted home crowd for the first time since March 2020, on Tuesday, last season's seventh-placed finishers Reading suffered a second successive defeat when they were well beaten by Swansea City in the first round of the EFL Cup.
Perhaps to be expected, given Veljko Paunovic's callow side had an average age of 19 - as most senior players were rested ahead of this weekend's game - the Royals were soundly beaten by their Welsh counterparts after barely laying a glove on them.
The Swans had nearly three-quarters of the ball, plus 17 shots on goal compared to Reading's six, as the home side played the final 20 minutes with only 10 men once Nelson Abbey was forced off with an injury after Paunovic had already made all three substitutions.
Even taking into account the much-changed nature of their midweek XI, in all, Reading have now conceded three times in four of their past five fixtures. Friendly defeats to West Ham and Crystal Palace came at the cost of six goals, before the first day of the new Championship season brought a 3-2 loss at Stoke.
Though they twice came from behind in a match where most of the goals came during three frantic first-half minutes, Stoke took the points when debutant Sam Surridge fired a powerful right-footed shot into the roof of the Royals' net.
Now seeking to not only stem the tide of goals against, but also post their first point of the new season, Paunovic - who remains frustrated by a transfer embargo - will hope his team can fare better against a side they could not get the better of last term.
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Preston have fond memories of their last trip to Berkshire, as they came away from Reading 3-0 winners back in November of last year - one of few highlights in a testing season for the Lancastrian outfit.
Since current boss Frankie McAvoy rose from obscurity to be appointed head coach on a permanent basis - having won five of his eight matches in interim charge following countryman Alex Neil's sacking - their fortunes have somewhat improved.
However, the Lilywhites suffered a shocking 4-1 home defeat to Hull City in their opening league game last weekend, before compensating in part by completing a 3-0 win over Mansfield in the cup - earning them a second round tie at Morecambe later this month.
Undoubtedly, the return of their faithful followers to Deepdale after a year-and-a-half of absence proved a damp squib, as Preston suffered their worst first-day home defeat since 1956.
Clearly second best to newly-promoted Hull in that crushing 4-1 reverse, McAvoy's men must certainly improve if they are to mount a playoff challenge this season, and will want to get their points tally ticking over on Saturday, after a trip to ailing opposition.
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Team News
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Reading boss Veljko Paunovic made 10 changes to his side in midweek, as defender Tom McIntyre was the only survivor from the defeat to Stoke. A very different XI is therefore expected to feature against Preston, though there are still a handful of injury concerns for him to consider.
Star striker Lucas Joao dislocated his shoulder last weekend - for the third time during the past year - and was hauled off late on in considerable pain. Nonetheless, the former Sheffield Wednesday forward should be back in contention after missing out in midweek.
John Swift was also withdrawn - due to cramp - and did not play in the cup due to Paunovic's concerns over previous injuries, but is also expected to feature. Ovie Ejaria, meanwhile, is set to overcome a groin strain and could even start.
Preston's Frankie McAvoy started the new campaign with a three-man back line, but moved to a four at the interval against Hull - switching to a midfield diamond - and it remains to be seen which way he will go this time out.
Goalkeeper Declan Rudd was preferred to Leicster City loanee Daniel Iversen, but the latter was brought on after just 13 minutes, when Rudd suffered a blow to the head. The Danish stopper therefore became the first 'concussion sub' used under new League protocols, and is expected to start on Saturday.
American right-back Matthew Olosunde's recovery from an Achilles problem is nearly complete, so he could potentially feature, but another new PNE signing, Izzy Brown, suffered a serious injury setback late last month, which will see the midfielder sidelined for several months.
Reading possible starting lineup:
Cabral; Yiadom, Moore, Morrison, McIntyre; Rinomhota, Laurent; Bristow, Swift, Ejaria; Joao
Preston North End possible starting lineup:
Iversen; Storey, Lindsay, Hughes; Barkhuizen, Whiteman, Ledson, Browne, Cunningham; Evans, Maguire
We say: Reading 2-2 Preston North End
Even if expectations are realistic at both clubs, neither will want to continue a winless start to the league season much longer, but they may have to do just that, as the spoils are set to be shared on Saturday.
Reading's defensive deficiencies can be exposed again, while Preston seem unsure of their best XI under new manager McAvoy and are unlikely to shut out the home side for 90 minutes. Therefore, a tightly contested score draw is on the cards.
Top tip
Jonathan O'Shea
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Preston North End win with a probability of 37.89%. A win for Reading had a probability of 33.08% and a draw had a probability of 29%.
The most likely scoreline for a Preston North End win was 0-1 with a probability of 12.66%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (7.7%) and 0-2 (7.29%). The likeliest Reading win was 1-0 (11.61%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.37%). The actual scoreline of 2-1 was predicted with a 7.1% likelihood.
