Bristol City look to end four-match losing streak against playoff contenders Reading

Bristol City turned in their worst performance of the season on Saturday afternoon, as they were hammered 6-0 on the road by a Watford side who were winless in three league games prior to kick-off. The Robins now welcome another top-six side to Ashton Gate in Veljko Paunovic’s Reading.

Bristol City and Reading were two of the early frontrunners in this incredible Championship campaign, but the two sides have endured very different fortunes since their impressive starts. Bristol City boss Dean Holden can count himself lucky to still be in a job following Saturday’s disastrous display against Watford. The home side are looking to end a run of four straight league defeats when they welcome Reading to BS3 on Tuesday night.

The Robins have tasted defeat in nine of their last 12 Championship outings and face another tough test here against a Royals side who cruised to a 3-1 victory when the sides met at the Madejski Stadium back in November 2020. Holden’s side have dropped down to 13th place in the table ahead of this clash, but remain just seven points adrift in the playoff race. That said, a top-six finish is an unrealistic expectation for a side that now holds the fourth worst goal difference in the division.

Reading have a point to prove of their own on Tuesday night. The Royals threw away a 1-0 lead on their way to a 2-1 defeat against Millwall at the weekend, and have now lost back-to-back league games. Veljko Paunovic will remain confident despite those defeats with his side still unbeaten in their last four league games on the road.

Failure to win here will end all realistic hopes of a top-two finish for the visitors though. The Berkshire side currently occupies fifth place and trail second-placed Brentford by nine points heading into gameweek 30. There is little danger of the Royals dropping out of the top six in the near future though, with eight points separating Paunovic’s side and seventh-placed Cardiff City.

Team News

Bristol City boss Holden will make sweeping changes for the visit of Reading, starting with a switch from a 3-5-2 system to a 4-3-3. That change will accommodate the return of Adrian Mariappa on the right side of the back four, with Jack Hunt set to stand in for the injured Tommy Rowe on the left. Henri Lansbury should keep his place in midfield but expect the likes of Tyreeq Bakinson and Adam Nagy to return alongside him. One change is expected up top with Nahki Wells set to start on the right.

Centre-forward Chris Martin will miss this weekend’s game, as will a host of long-term absentees. Wingers Andreas Weimann and Callum O’Dowda are struggling with ACL and hamstring injuries respectively, while Jay Dasilva is sidelined with a shin injury. Centre-back Alfie Mawson is the home side’s only other confirmed absentee, so expect to see a centre-back pairing of Zak Vyner and Tomas Kalas here.

Reading were dealt a big blow last week with the confirmation that playmaker John Swift will miss the next six weeks with a hamstring injury. His absence means that Alfa Semedo will keep his place in the midfield. Yakou Meite is being assessed on an injury of unknown origin, so his involvement remains doubtful.

Veljko Paunovic will make just one change to the side that faced Millwall at the weekend, with left-back Omar Richards replacing Everton loanee Lewis Gibson. George Puscas and Felipe Araruna have missed most of the season so far with recurring knee and groin injuries respectively, but the duo could both make the bench on Tuesday night.

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