The Royals' next opponents Crystal Palace have been dealt a blow with the news that last season's top scorer Darren Ambrose is set for a three week spell on the sidelines.

The former Newcastle midfielder, who found the net 20 times in the 2009/10 campaign, was originally feared to have broken his leg - but thankfully further tests revealed he has only received severe bruising.

He now looks unlikely to be ready for when the Eagles visit Madejski Stadium on Saturday 11th September - when the international break comes to an end.

Brian McDermott's squad have also suffered injury problems in the past fortnight, and will wait on the fitness of the likes of Matt Mills, Andy Griffin, Marcus Williams and Brynjar Gunnarsson.

Defensive duo Ivar Ingimarsson and Chris Armstrong are set to continue their recovery by playing for a Royals reserve side against Brighton and Hove Albion next week.

For ticket information on our clash with Palace click here.