Having seen our previous match against Brentford postponed, our eagerly anticipated return to action is fast approaching as Coventry City become the latest visitors to the Madejski Stadium.
The fixture against the Sky Blues, which will be shown live via Sky Sports Arena, offers Veljko Paunovic’s men the chance of some payback, against the side that dealt us our first league defeat in the reverse fixture at St Andrews.
Reading will be keen to get back to speed and extend their unbeaten run in the Sky Bet Championship to four games, with victory over Coventry.
How to watch
Tuesday evening’s game at the Madejski Stadium has been selected for live coverage via Sky Sports Arena. This co-exclusive broadcast arrangement means that Royals supporters have a choice of how to watch.
Sky Sports subscription holders can tune in to view Sky Sports Arena, while fans will also have the chance to grab a Match Pass to watch proceedings unfold via iFollow.
The opposition
The Sky Blues have passed the test so far on their return to the Sky Bet Championship and sit 17th – seven points clear of the bottom three.
Mark Robins’ side’s form of late has been mixed, they have suffered defeat in three of their previous five outings, including their most recent game, a 2-0 Emirates FA Cup Third Round defeat to Norwich City.
However, last time out in the league they edged past Millwall, with whom they now sit level on points with. Coventry will look to get the better of the Royals and continue their push towards safety as they embark on the second half of the campaign.
One to watch: Callum O’Hare
Having enjoyed a highly successful loan spell with the Sky Blues, that culminated in promotion to the Championship. Following his release from boyhood club Aston Villa, O’Hare was snapped up by Coventry on a permanent basis the following summer.
Since making St Andrews his home, he has been ever present for Mark Robins’ men, playing his part in all 23 of their league games to date, while scoring on two occasions, most recently in a 2-1 win over QPR.
A tricky attacking-midfielder, who looks to get forward with pace, O’Hare is still just 22, and has previously represented England at U20 level.
Pre-match chat
Head-to-head
Tuesday’s nights fixture presents the Royals with an opportunity to set the record straight against the side who were their undoing back in late October, when Coventry inflicted our first league defeat of the season on a rainy night at St Andrews.
Prior to the defeat in October, Reading remained unbeaten against the Sky Blues since September 2005, and have won 27 and drawn 17 of a total 63 meetings between the two clubs.
Our last win over Coventry came in February 2012, when goals from Jason Roberts and Jimmy Kebe saw us to a 2-0 victory.
Ref watch
Dean Whitestone will be the man in the middle for the visit of the Sky Blues, for what will be his first Reading game of the season.
Whitestone, who last officiated a Royals match in October 2019, when we registered a 1-0 win over Preston North End, will be assisted by Robert Merchant and George Byrne.
Keith Stroud will be the fourth official on this occasion. During Whitestone’s 16 league games to date, he is yet to brandish a red card, but has issued 23 yellow cards.
Notes from STAR
Supporters' Trust at Reading have put together their 'programme notes' ahead of the game, which you can access by clicking here.
Reminder
A polite reminder to our supporters that no unauthorised access will be permitted to this game, so supporters must not travel to Madejski Stadium.
We can’t wait to see you all again soon – but for now it’s important that when we play, please stay away.
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