FT Reading 1-3 Crystal Palace
Despite having to play the game with 10 men for an hour, after Cheikhou Kouyate was brandished a red card, the Eagles found goals through Jean-Phillipe Mateta, Jordan Ayew and Scott Banks to coast to another pre-season triumph.
The Royals did pose a threat, especially in the second half, but it wasn't enough for Palace's zestful lineup.
Impressive displays from Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, Scott Banks and Conor Gallagher in the second period will give the Croydon faithful a lot of optimism.
90+2' Goal for Banksy!
WOW... what a beauty that is.
It takes a lot of confidence to take a first-team player off of a free-kick, but Scott Banks executed his shot perfectly, clipping the crossbar and caressing the ball into the top right corner.
Very, Very impressive, Mr Banks...
90' Two minutes added on
Just two minutes left for Palace to see out their most hard-fought victory of pre-season. For Reading, they will hope to salvage a result after pulling the strings of the right-side in the second half.
86' Lots of energy from Rak-Sakyi
Since his promotion to the first team towards the tail-end of last season, Jesurun Rak-Sakyi has done nothing but impress.
He's just turned a Reading defender inside out with his knack to intelligently read the movement of the opposition and waltz away with ease.
Certainly, a one to watch this season for those watching their football in SE25.
Gallagher was instrumental
I forgot to mention Gallagher's imperious quality in that passage of play that led to the goal.
The new man won the ball in Palace's half and fed the ball to Ayew, an astounding way to introduce yourself to the club.
80' Palace retake the lead through Jordan Ayew
Revenge is served best through another deflected shot! The shot takes a nick from the defender, but what we should be looking at is the magnificent run from Ayew that started as far back as the halfway line.
Now there's something to defend for Palace, who deserve the lead.
78' Sub for Palace
Rob Street has played brilliantly again today - he now makes way for last week's goalscorer, Scott Banks to get some valuable minutes.
76' Palace camped in their half
The numerical advantage is taking its toll on 10 man Palace, who are restricted to watching Reading zip the ball from left to right for now.
70' Royals waiting to pounce on poor Eagle possession
Rak-Sakyi and Clyne come on for Ward and Riedewald, bolstering the right-hand side that has worked so hard today.
It just seems as though Palace's ball-playing has been slow in the past few passages, giving the Royals the license to anticipate a mistake.
Faster and with more confidence are the cries from the touchline.
67' More bad luck for Palace... the scores are level!
Jairo Riedewald's wall fails to stand firm, and John Swift's free-kick is deflected into the back of the net to make it 1-1.
Abysmal set-piece positioning and organisation from Palace - such a poor goal to concede.
66' Succession of corners for the home team
They haven't seen too much joy from set-pieces thus far, but now with Palace's tallest player coming off through Mateta, Reading will hope their profusion of corners will help them grab a goal.
Shame they don't have Michael Olise down the wing for delivery purposes...
A reminder of how the Eagles took the lead...
60' Can hear the Palace faithful in full voice now
That Mateta goal, which came moments after Joel Ward struck the base of the post, has incensed Palace fans with a reason to sing.
They've looked vibrant since the opener, being confident and relaxed in their buildup.
55' Subsitutions - Gallagher comes on
Jean-Phillipe Mateta comes off for newbie Conor Gallagher, while Reading take off Joao and Ejaria for Trialist and Puscas.
54' Goal for Mateta!
Calm, composed, deserved - Jean-Phillipe Mateta races over to the travelling away fans after slotting his penalty into the bottom right of the goal.
Persistence pays off for a striker who has been scathed for his lack of confidence in front of goal.
54' Penalty to Palace!
Joel Ward fires a cross into the opposition box and it misses the head of Mateta narrowly because of a tug on the shirt.
Mateta to take the penalty...
50' Jordan Ayew gallivants forward
A free kick now for the Eagles from afar.
Jordan Ayew did well to get the ball up the pitch quickly and force the Royals to make a dodgy challenge.
The referee seems a bit fairer now.
48' Another Reading corner
Tomkins does well to knock the ball out of play for a corner at the back post, despite no number nine being there to attack the Reading cross.
Early signs of a complete shift in momentum in this game. It now looks like Reading are on the front foot, asking the questions of Guaita with a fourth successive corner of the half.
45' Second half is underway
We are back in play for the second period of the ninety. Definitely need to see more from Palace in this segment, but the Royals will hope to stop them in their tracks.
Substitution for Reading
Ethan Bristow comes on for the Royals, while Palace opt to keep the same squad.
HT: Reading 0-0 Crystal Palace
Some good chances in sporadic moments of the game for Palace, but nothing to show for it as they go into the interval with no goals and a sending off to Kouyate.
The possession from the back hasn't been as good as we've become used to, and a lot of mistakes has led to a half that has ebbed and flowed.
The midfield companionship of Riedewald and McArthur hasn't helped in boosting the morale of a disappointing start to their penultimate pre-season friendly.
44' Best chance of the game falls for Mateta
Mateta has been one positive component of Palace's first-half efforts, and he just fashioned a golden chance for him to get the Eagles a goal.
Out of nothing, the towering striker won the ball in the air and waltzed towards goal with verve. That so-called verve, however, was lost on the final touch, as the goalkeeper picked up on the final touch.
42' Changes must be in the offing at the interval for Vieira.
Since last mentioning their possessive incompetence, McArthur and Riedewald have failed to pick up from their early mistakes.
They are still giving the ball away, with poor decision making and a lack of confidence it seems.
40' Shot wide by Reading
In a couple of weeks, you give that chance to a Premier League striker, and it would be 1-0 to them.
James Tomkins gave the ball away too easily and Reading really should have made more of this opportunity. Instead, the shot looped comfortably wide.
38' Momentum shift in the shape of blue and white
The shape and enthusiasm from the Eagles have been in disarray in the last 10 minutes. While fluidity is something that the manager stands for, it seems that they are all hesitant to move too far from their assigned position.
Reading have grown in confidence, feeling they can get something out of this depleted Palace side.
35' Substitution for Palace
James Tomkins comes on for Kirby, which is a real shame for the youngster. Vieira opts to add an extra defender following the exodus of Kouyate.
30' Red card for Kouyate
As I was saying earlier, the possession hasn't always been as free-flowing today. Guaita makes a loose pass to Kouyate, and the defender flies into a challenge with the Royals' attacker.
Very poor from Guaita, but we can't be certain that the red card is justified. A long hour left in this game.
26' No real chances of note with almost half an hour gone...
Highlighted by the video below, there isn't much happening in terms of chances in this game. While the Eagles have had the best chances, they haven't really tested the goalkeeper as of yet.
And on the other side of the pitch, well... Guaita has resorted to something else besides the football on the pitch.
23' Scrappy play leads to deep Reading free-kick
The referee has been very unbalanced at the Madjeski, but nevertheless, Palace deal with the long ball into the box unscathed.
In fact, Jordan Ayew gallivanted forward on the break, but he was unable to find the decisive pass at the end of his slalom run.
21' The press from Palace in full flow
At times, it will come to much dismay to Vieira that his players haven't always passed the ball as well as he'd hope.
That being said, they win the back superbly well after losing possession. Namely, Street and Mateta have looked very lively in the press.
Just a few misplaced passes from the likes of McArthur and Riedewald need to be ironed out.
15' All the play coming down the right
Good counterattacking football gave Palace an opening on the right for Jordan Ayew, but the shot is straightforward in the end.
Again, Mateta has looked infused with confidence in today's match, something which hasn't been on display in the entirety of pre-season until now.
Hardly seen much of Rob Street, sadly, with the game being concentrated on Ayew's flank.
10' Brilliant play from Marc Guehi
If anyone has impressed on the ball in the early stages of the game it's newcomer Marc Guehi. He received the ball from a misplaced Jairo Riedewald tap and fires a quarterback-like pass into Mateta.
But again, the following pass from Riedewald was poor, leading to a loss of possession in a great position.
6' Early tactical analysis
Reading are very happy to press every pass that the Eagles make, and this is something that has suited Vieira's new-look strategy so far.
Palace, however, don't always look too comfortable on the ball. Some of the touches have had the feel of a first game back in many ways.
Both teams just kind of feeling each other into the contest early on.
3' Mateta darts into the box with potential
Jean-Phillipe Mateta just had his first sight of the Reading box, after a well-worked ball out from the back found his diagonal run.
The out of confidence striker should have done more, but he bundles the ball into the goalkeeper.
Kick-off!
We're underway here at the Madejski Stadium, with Crystal Palace in their yellow away shirt and Reading playing in their customary blue and white hooped strip.
Lots of excitement is building for the start of the new season, and while Sweet Caroline rings around the ground, you can feel the anticipation.
But there's still a lot of things the players and teams need to perfect today.
Couple of minutes to go
We're almost ready to guide you through the 90 minutes at Madejski Stadium as the two teams emerge from the dugout.
Don't forget to follow VAVEL UK for live updates and analysis throughout!
Getting ready...
A lot of quick passages of play in the Palace warmups ahead of kick-off on the pitch below me.
We have become accustomed to liquid football under Vieira so far in pre-season, and we expect more of the same in cloudy Berkshire today.
Excitement over...
It looks as though the trialist for Reading today is in fact Kadeem Harris, who played last season's football in white and blue for Sheffield Wednesday.
New team, same friends
This is the first time that Michael Olise has been at the Madejski Stadium since his £8 million move to Selhurst Park a few weeks back.
Unfortunately, the midfield livewire is injured, so his impact on today's friendly will be limited to the sidelines.
Here's a fitting rumour for you
Reading are lining up with a trialist on the bench today, and for Crystal Palace fans, it may be a familiar figure. No confirmation, so could all be false, but the rumours suggest that a certain Yannick Bolasie is in the building...
The Congolese winger played over 100 games for the Eagles, earning himself a special reputation at Selhurst Park.
Confirmed line-up: Crystal Palace
Just a day after completing his medical and ultimate loan switch to Crystal Palace, midfielder Conor Gallagher finds himself in the matchday squad.
Confirmed line-up: Reading
Tune in here for Reading vs Crystal Palace
We will provide you with team news, analysis and much much more from here from 2 pm BST.
VAVEL is your best bet for updates and commentary as the goals go in!
How to watch Reading vs Crystal Palace: Live Stream on TV and Online?
The game will not be on TV, but if you want to watch it, Palace TV is your only option.
If you would rather follow live text commentary, VAVEL UK is your best option.
What time is Reading vs Crystal Palace?
The game will take place on Palace TV at 3 pm BST.
Highlights and reaction will be available on both team's Youtube Channel's in the following days.
Last time out between the two teams
It has been a long time since these two met, with both teams playing their football at different levels of the football pyramid.
You will have to look as far back as 2016 when these two collided last, where Crystal Palace were 2-0 victors in the sixth round of the FA Cup.
Key player for Reading
Upon the departure of Michael Olise at the start of summer, Royals fans will be hoping to find a new talent in their ranks to mount a playoff push this season.
Scoring 19 goals in the league last season, Lucas Joao will be key to their successes today and for the rest of the season.
Key player for Crystal Palace
The obvious choice for Palace's key player would be Wilfried Zaha. After all, he has already scored on two separate occasions since the start of training.
However, Jesurun Rak-Sakyi has stolen the attention of the Croydon faithful in recent weeks. The 18-year-old has looked lively in pre-season, scoring a goal to reward his valiant pressing efforts.
Possible line-ups for Reading vs Crystal Palace
Since it's Reading's final pre-season friendly before the Championship, it would be expected that a near enough full-strength side will welcome the Eagles.
For Palace, they have rotated heavily during the offseason, so it will be interesting to see if Vieira will implement a stronger side in today's game.
Reading: Final warmup
For Veljko Paunovic's Reading side, it is their final opportunity to configure a winning formula ahead of the Championship season.
They now straddle just a week away from their opening day fixture against Stoke City.
Crystal Palace: A chance for the new signings to impress
Since their last fixture, which saw the Eagles draw 2-2 with Charlton Athletic, they have added Conor Gallagher and Joachim Andersen to their books.
Today's game presents an opportunity for the new boys to shine ahead of the competitive season.
The match will be played at the Madejski Stadium
The Reading vs Crystal Palace match will be played at the Madejski Stadium, Reading with a capacity crowd of 24,161.
It's a stadium that new signing, Michael Olise, will be familiar with, having played for the Royals last season, before making the switch to south London.
Welcome to VAVEL.com's coverage of the pre-season match between Reading and Crystal Palace
My name is Robin Mumford and I'll be your host for this game. We will provide you with the pre-game analysis, score updates and news as it happens live here on VAVEL.
This will be Crystal Palace's fourth game under new coach Patrick Vieira, who will hope to progress his team's chemistry further ahead of the Premier League season.