Hope Akpan certain of Reading survival

Reading midfielder Hope Akpan has claimed that he is "100% confident" that the club can avoid relegation from the Premier League this season.

Last weekend's 3-0 defeat to fellow strugglers Wigan Athletic saw the Royals slip down to one point from safety in the table.

"We can stay up, 100%. We still have that belief," Akpan, who joined Reading from Crawley Town last month, told BBC Sport.

"Any loss like that is tough to take. Obviously with the position we are in and the position Wigan are in it was even tougher to take. We just need to use that pain to help us get the points we need to stay up."

Reading travel to Goodison Park to face Everton in the league on Saturday.