Team News: Three new faces start for Reading

Reading's starting XI against Stoke City contains three debutants - Chris Gunter, Danny Guthrie and Pavel Pogrebnyak.

The Russian, who joined on a free after failing to agree terms with Fulham, is joined up front by Adam Le Fondre, while Adrian Mariappa is only named on the bench.

For Stoke it is a familiar-looking side that Tony Pulis has selected, with Jon Walters and Peter Crouch starting up front and Asmir Begovic keeping out Thomas Sorensen in goal.

There is one debutant for the away team this afternoon, with Michael Kightly starting as expecting after joining from Wolverhampton Wanderers. Jamie Ness, who signed from Rangers, can only make the bench.

Reading: Federici; Gunter, Harte, Gorkss, Pearce; Guthrie, Leigertwood, McAnuff, Robson-Kanu; Le Fondre, Pogrebnyak Subs: McCarthy, Cummings, Mariappa, Tabb, McCleary, Church, Hunt

Stoke: Begovic; Wilkinson, Shawcross, Huth, Wilson; Kightly, Whelan, Whitehead, Etherington; Walters, Crouch Subs: Sorensen, Jones, Ness, Delap, Shotton, Jerome, Palacios