Preview: Reading vs Leyton Orient - prediction, team news, lineups

Under-fire boss Noel Hunt will be desperate for a turnaround as his Reading side host Leyton Orient at the Select Car Leasing Stadium in Saturday lunchtime’s League One clash.

The Irishman’s future in Berkshire is under growing scrutiny, with the Royals marooned in the relegation zone, while the visitors sit in midtable comfort.

Match preview

Having narrowly missed out on the playoffs by three points in 2024-25, Reading supporters expected more this season under Hunt, but the 42-year-old has endured a difficult start to his first full campaign in charge.

The Royals have managed only five points from seven games, with one win, two draws and four defeats, leaving them 21st in the table, having scored seven goals and conceded 12.

Speculation has surfaced over whether Gillingham manager Gareth Ainsworth could be the man to lift the team out of trouble, but Hunt must find a way to win back the hierarchy’s trust by delivering results on the pitch.

The Irishman faces the task of halting a poor sequence of consecutive defeats, though there was little disgrace in pushing one of the early title contenders so close in their latest outing.

Reading fell to a 3-2 loss at Barnsley last weekend, with Daniel Kyerewaa’s 66th-minute strike failing to spark a late comeback following a similar 3-2 defeat to Swindon Town in the EFL Trophy just days earlier.

Victory is badly needed, yet Hunt’s task is complicated by the fact that the Royals have never beaten Orient in six previous meetings across all competitions, losing four.

Indeed, the O’s won both clashes last season, edging this fixture 1-0 before a 2-0 success in the return leg to make it three victories from four against Reading in the third tier.

Orient will fancy extending that dominance, considering their current form, with Richie Wellens’s men winning two of their last three across all competitions — and it could have been a clean sweep had they not let a lead slip against Bolton Wanderers at the weekend.

Defender Jack Simpson’s 69th-minute opener was cancelled out by Amario Cozier-Duberry’s late strike, forcing Leyton to settle for a share of the spoils.

That result left Wellens’s side 14th in the table with 11 points from eight matches, comprising three wins, two draws and three losses, while the team has netted 10 times and conceded 13.

Even so, Orient have claimed three victories from their last four away outings in all competitions — including eliminating Peterborough in the EFL Trophy and beating Port Vale in the league — and will back themselves to take something here.

Reading League One form:

Reading form (all competitions):

Leyton Orient League One form:

Leyton Orient form (all competitions):

Team News

Hunt may be forced to persist with teenager Ashqar Ahmed at right-back despite the 18-year-old’s struggles last time out, with Andy Yiadom sidelined by a knee injury and Kelvin Abrefa’s absence at the weekend raising doubts about his availability.

Centre-back Paudie O’Connor remains out with a calf issue, while Jack Marriot is set to lead the line again after scoring in consecutive appearances, especially with Mark O’Mahony uncertain to feature after missing out against Bolton.

Orient were without midfielder Theo Archibald, winger Jordan Graham and teenager Zech Obiero last time out due to knee problems, and the trio may again miss this weekend.

Michael Craig and Daniel Happe were also forced off against Bolton, leaving uncertainty over their involvement, though the latter’s absence may not be felt if Wellens reverts from a five-man backline to a four.

Don Ballard is expected to spearhead the attack once more, supported by Aaron Connolly in the advanced midfield three, with Josh Koroma and Azeem Abdulai operating either side.

Reading possible starting lineup:

Pereira; Ahmed, Burns, Williams, Jacob; Elliott, Wing, Savage; Ehibhatiomhan, Marriott, Kyerewaa

Leyton Orient possible starting lineup:

Cahill; T James, Edmonds-Green, Simpson, Mitchell; Moorhouse, El Mizouni; Koroma, Connolly, Abdulai; Ballard

We say: Reading 1-1 Leyton Orient

Orient arrive as favourites given their recent form and strong record in this fixture, yet with Hunt’s job hanging in the balance, Reading are expected to fight tooth and nail, though a lack of belief could see them settle for a point.

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