The international break is over, and it’s time for the Championship to get back underway with Reading FC taking on Ipswich Town live on Sky Sports.
The Royals have had an average start to their Championship campaign – picking up seven points in their opening five league fixtures as they sit in 15th place.
They will be looking to continue their momentum after picking up a credible away victory against Cardiff City in their previous fixture.
They face an Ipswich Town side that have been beaten in their last three results and a win for either side could see them climb temporarily into the play offs.
The two sides are very much evenly matched, but with Reading looking strong at home and unbeaten so far in the current campaign, they could sneak a victory and be the side to clinch three points at the Madejski Stadium.
Football League World Writer, Ashley Williams identifies the line-up to beat Ipswich Town on Friday night..
GK – Ali-Al Habsi
Since the goalkeeper arrived on a free transfer, he has been a revelation at the club after being crowned the club’s player of the season. During the start of his career, he was fairly shaky and made several errors, but since the turn of this year, he has certainly been the stand-out player in the Royals dressing room. He has certainly continued his momentum into this season and looks to be a solid figure behind his back-four.
LB – Tyler Blackett
The defender who joined the Royals last month has made a solid start to his Championship career and he will really bolster Reading’s back four for this term. Although he was taken off for Jordan Obita inside the final ten minutes of the Cardiff victory, he is expected to continue at left back against Ipswich Town.
CB – Paul McShane
The Irish central defender brings a vast amount of experience to the squad and he was a key asset to the side last season. McShane is the perfect player to guide the younger defenders in the side such as Tyler Blackett and Jake Cooper by developing them into established Championship players and hopefully guiding them towards the top six; rather than looking over their shoulder from the relegation zone.
CB- Liam Moore
Moore made his league debut before the international break, and he will be extremely pleased with guiding Reading to a clean-sheet and his performance alongside McShane will justify a place in the starting line-up against Ipswich. You could sense that the starting defenders from the Cardiff game immediately struck up an understanding of each other, which will be extremely beneficial for them.
RB – Chris Gunter
The Wales full back will be coming back into the Championship brimming with confidence after the perfect start to his native country’s World Cup qualifier – hammering Moldova 4-0. The right back is a steady influence among new additions Moore and Blackett, and will be looking to replicate Wales’ result in Reading’s clash with Ipswich.
CM – Joey Van Den Berg
Ever since Van Den Berg burst onto the scene in Berkshire, he has been a breath of fresh air and is not afraid of a battle – nicknamed the ‘pitball’. The 30-year-old arrived at the Madejski Stadium during the summer with a somewhat colourful reputation. In his past four campaigns, he amassed 32 yellow cards and seven reds, and since his move to England, he has picked up an additional yellow and red card. A fiery attitude can be a good influence in a dressing room, but he will need to make sure his aggressive play doesn’t cost his side.
CM – John Swift
Reading signed Swift on a free-transfer from Chelsea in the summer, and he has already proved to be a valued member of their squad. Swift had picked up a knock and was an unused substitute for the Cardiff game, but he will certainly feature against the Tractor Boys.
CM - Danny Williams
This year will impact whether Stam decides to keep the midfielder at the club after one year left on his contract. Williams is a quality figure in the side, but he is way too inconsistent. He is expected to keep his place in the Royals line-up for the Reading boss to analyse whether he still has a future in Berkshire.
RAM – Gareth McCleary
The winger caused real problems for Cardiff using his pace and trickery, and Royals boss Jaap Stam will be hoping that McCleary attacks the Ipswich defence constantly.
ST – Yann Kermorgant
His dramatic last gasp winner will do Kermorgant’s confidence a world of good after not yet convincing the Reading fans. The French striker arrived with a reputation for goals - but so far he hasn’t delivered. He has found the net just three times for the Royals with all of those coming last season, two of which were against Charlton on his return to the Valley. However, he has done other things well, like holding the ball up, bringing others into play and helping defend set pieces - something he does superbly.
LAM – Roy Beerens
The summer signing of Roy Beerens was met with lots of excitement at Madejski Stadium. So far the supporters have seen flashes of brilliance from the Dutch winger. However, Reading need to use him more, they need to get him in the game as much as possible, something that isn’t really happening as yet. Beerens has real quality, you can see it when he has the ball at his feet - but he needs to have more of an influence on games.
Reading fans.. Is this the side that will beat Ipswich on Friday night? If you were the manager, which side would you put out? Let us know in your thoughts and opinions below!