Reading need to take their minds off the difficult Premier League relegation battle when they host Arsenal in the Capitol One Cup last 16 stage match.
Arsene Wenger, on the other hand, will use this game as an opportunity to give his fringe players a chance to impress, with the Gunners looking for additional lift ahead of the derby against Manchester United.
Despite signing some very good players in the summer, newly promoted Reading have yet to hit the ground running.
The team have been showing a lot of promise in the opening exchanges, but that won’t matter much unless the Royals can start wining soon.
Reading sit deep in the relegation zone after taking just 4 points from 8 league games, so they can be forgiven for not being able to fully focus in the Capitol One Cup clash with Arsenal.
Even if the hosts are likely to make changes to the starting line-up, they are hoping to qualify for the quarter-finals, with bet365 paying 2.75 (7/4) on Reading to go through.
Jem Karacan is sidelined with a knee injury, but Noel Hunt could return after sitting out the Fulham clash at the weekend.
Probable starting line-up (4-4-2): McCarthy – Cummings, Gorkss, Mariappa, Shorey – Kebe, Leigertwood, Guthrie, Robson-Kanu – Pogrebnyak, Le Fondre.
Arsenal did well to recover from back to back defeats to Norwich and Schalke as they recorded a narrow win over QPR at the weekend, but the Gunners now need to continue in the same manner.
The team still lack the consistency needed to challenge for honours, but the return of Jack Wilshire and Bacary Sagna will certainly be a huge boost for the club.
Even if the duo is set to be rested, just like several other starters, Arsenal look a good bet to win this game at odds of 1.91 (10/11) offered at 888sport.
Arsene Wenger is set to rest most of his starters, with Theo Walcott set to play a part after recovering from injury.
Wojciech Szczesny, Abou Diaby, Kieran Gibbs, Lukasz Fabianski and Tomas Rosicky remain long-term worries.
Probable starting line-up (4-2-3-1): Martinez – Jenkinson, Koscielny, Djourou, Miquel – Frimpong, Coquelin – Walcott, Arshavin, Gnabry – Giroud.
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