Reading FC travel to London to face a fierce play off rival in Millwall as both teams are desperate for three points.
Millwall in eighth and Reading in 14th are both in striking position of the top six, and three points for one of these sides on Saturday could help strengthen play off push for the respective club.
Both sides are on brilliant form going into this match, with neither of these two beaten in their last five matches in all competitions.
The Royals will be looking to end this week on another positive after progressing to the fourth round of the FA Cup, and more recently with Mark Bowen committing his future to the club till the Summer of 2021.
Last Time Out
The Royals were in action more recently than the Lions with the Berkshire side progressing to the fourth round of the FA Cup after a 2-0 away victory against League One side Blackpool in their 3rd round replay.
Millwall are also through to the fourth round, but they were last in action last weekend with the London side picking up a point in their 0-0 draw on the road against Stoke City in the Championship.
On that same day (last Saturday)- Reading rescued a 97th minute equaliser at home to high flying Nottingham Forest.
Team News
Millwall manager Gary Rowett has a handful of selection issues to deal with ahead of Reading's visit to The Den.
Aiden O'Brien, Ben Thompson, Tom Elliott and Ryan Leonard are all likely to miss the contest with various injury problems for the hosts.
Meanwhile, Shaun Williams is suspended following his sending-off against Stoke last time out.
Reading boss Mark Bowen, on the other hand, has a significantly shorter injury list to contend with.
Andy Yiadom is a major doubt for the contest, but aside from that, Bowen has a fully-fit squad.
Predicted starting XI's
Millwall's predicted starting XI (3-4-3): Bialkowski; Hutchinson, Pearce, Cooper; Romeo, Thompson, Molumby, M. Wallace; J. Wallace, Bradshaw, Mahoney.
Reading's predicted starting XI (4-2-3-1): Cabral; Gunter, Morrison, Moore, Blackett; Pele, Adam; Meite, Swift, Ejaria; Puscas.
Manager Comments
Gary Rowett: (millwallfc.co.uk)
The Lions boss has labelled the Royals as a "good team" going into the game on Saturday.
He said: "Reading are hitting really good form, Mark Bowen has done a fantastic job since making the step up from Director of Football to First Team Manager," he said.
"I know it might be a strange decision, but he has done really well. He's a vastly experienced person and has worked at the highest level. He's a very good coach and highly regarded.
"They've got a good team. I've always felt that Reading have underperformed given the individuals they have, but now they have a team with players that can win the game. The likes of [John] Swift, [Ovie] Ejaria - players that can win any game. Charlie Adam, too - we all know about his range of passing.
"It's a game where we're going to have to be really good again. I expect it to be a tough game, but we're in good form as well, so it's up to us to go and put a good performance in."
Mark Bowen- Quote credit (Berkshire Live)
The Royals boss had this to say on the prospect of facing Millwall after the Blackpool FA Cup replay on Tuesday night:
"It's always a test when you go to Millwall. We have to make sure we prepare right and focus on the job at hand."
Head to Head record
These two sides have met 104 times over the years with the Royals having the edge on the head to head side of things.
The Berkshire club have beaten the hosts for Saturday on 43 occasions including earlier this season in Reading's 2-1 victory over the London club at the Madejski Stadium.
There have been 23 draws between these two sides, and Millwall have beaten the Royals on 38 occasions.
Key Players to watch out for
Millwall- Jed Wallace
The 26-year-old has been Rowett's best player this season.
The forward is the club's top scorer with nine goals, and has the top assists with seven.
The English player has already scored against Reading this season- a stunning solo effort which only counted for consolation in the Lions 2-1 defeat at the Madejski Stadium.
Reading's back four may have a tough time containing the 26-year-old this weekend.
Reading- John Swift
This contest is predicted to be a tight affair.
And the intricate passing of Reading creative midfielder John Swift could be the difference between the Royals picking up three points in comparison to one.
Reading's number eight has been in great recent form and returning to London will certainly signal a big occasion for the ex Chelsea and Brentford player.
The 24-year-old has seven assists and five goals so far this season and will be looking for more goal involvements this weekend at The Den.
