A draw against Newcastle United and then a humiliating 3-0 defeat at Deepdale has worsened Reading’s case of imposing a serious challenge to the Geordies and Brighton & Hove Albion for an automatic promotion spot.
Jaap Stam must be gutted owing to the fact that his troops squandered a palpable chance of cementing a stronghold in the Championship. After 3 losses and 1 draw, Reading are placed 5th on the league table with 64 points and have fallen 13 points behind the top spot, which is currently held by Rafael Benitez’s side.
Nonetheless, the league is far from over and this weekend, Stam is due to take his side to Hillsborough and here is how he might lay out his starting line-up against another promotion hopeful outfit.
Defence
Ali Al Habsi should find himself starting under the bar against the Owls on Saturday. The 35-year-old veteran might have conceded 3 goals against Preston North End last weekend but that doesn’t take away the fact that he has been a reliable customer with the gloves. In 37 appearances for Reading, Al Habsi has collected 11 clean sheets and has made 107 saves and he has a huge opportunity to prove his mettle once again this weekend.
Ahead of him, we expect Chris Gunter, Paul McShane, Liam Moore and Jordan Obita to line up. Obita’s inclusion in the starting line-up at left-back last weekend urged Stam to use Blackett as the central defender owing to Moore’s injury, but it backfired.
Blackett has been perennially vulnerable to counter-attacks and imperfect positioning and was exposed by the Lilywhites and thus, we expect him to sit out. Gunter should be starting from the right-back position with the pairing of Moore and McShane at the heart of their backline.
Midfield
In the central midfield region, Jordan Mutch and Joey van den Berg should be getting a nod to start once again to provide sync between the attacking and defensive endeavours of the Royals. Roy Beerens should be played on the left-wing whereas, on the right wing, Gareth McLeary should be starting the proceedings.
Beerens was dropped against Preston North End and eventually, it turned out that it wasn’t a fruitful decision from the Dutchman.
Attack
Lewis Grabban and Yann Kermorgant should be partnered up upfront to cater to the striking needs of Reading. Grabban shouldn’t be wasted on the wings and Stam should revamp his tactics by placing a two-man attacking setup comprising of Grabban and Kermorgant which could suit his side in a better manner.
Against Sheffield Wednesday, Reading strikers need to hit the ground up and running from the word go and try to be a lot more clinical.
Predicted Line-Up:
Al Habsi
Gunter-Moore-McShane-Obita
McLeary-van den Berg-Mutch-Beerens
Grabban-Kermorgant
