Reading manager Jose Manuel Gomes has urged his players to be brave in their clash with West Bromwich Albion tonight.

The Royals head to The Hawthorns in good spirits having secured their first victory of the 2019/20 Championship campaign on Sunday against Cardiff City.

Summer arrival George Puscas opened his account for Reading by firing in an exceptional opener at the Madejski Stadium before doubling the club's advantage following neat work from John Swift.

After resisting Cardiff's attacks in the second-half, the Royals added a third through Swift to guarantee all three points.

However, the clash against Slaven Bilic's Baggies will provide a different kind of test for Reading, although Gomes will be confident in his side's ability to take the game to the hosts.

Speaking to the club's official website ahead of the showdown with the Baggies, the 48-year-old said: "They are [West Brom] a very, very good side.

"Fantastic players, high quality and we must face all of them - the completely different teams in the Championship. Some of them have a passing game, some have long balls and fight for seconds, some teams play on the counter-attack using the speed of their players.

[ad_pod ]

"We must face all of them, be brave and adapt in all games. We don't have too much time to celebrate [Sunday's victory over Cardiff], we've won three important points but it's a long season we have in front of us.

"We have 43 more games, we must be prepared, rested, eat properly to be ready to play again on Wednesday. We need to keep our focus and prepare."

If Reading can secure back-to-back victories in the Championship, they could move into the top-half of the league standings providing that results elsewhere also go their way.

The Verdict

Although the prospect of facing a West Brom side who have yet to lose in the second-tier could be daunting for the Royals, Gomes' comments suggest that his side will be more than up for the challenge.

Despite starting to the season with back-to-back defeats, the nature of Reading's performance against Cardiff last weekend would have filled the players with confidence and thus it would not be at all surprising if they end up springing a surprise on the Baggies.

With the Royals now being able to call upon the services of Lucas Joao and Puscas, the club will fancy their chances of scoring for the fourth game in a row in the Championship.