Veljko Paunovic's Reading are looking to put themselves back in the play-offs with three points on Saturday, after dropping out last weekend to eighth. 

Defeats to promotion rivals Brentford and Norwich City last week has slightly dented their hopes, so a win is crucially needed to get the Royals back on track.

Meanwhile, Nathan Jones' Luton Town finds themselves in 14th place, comfortably in mid-table. Having only lost two of their last six, they are in decent form.

A win for the Hatters could take them as high as ninth, while Reading could go as high as third.

Team news

Reading are currently in an injury crisis, but John Swift and Lucas Joao may make a return on Saturday. The Royals are still without Omar Richards, Lewis Gibson, Andy Yiadom, Felipe Araruna, Yakou Meite, and George Puscas.

On the contrary, Luton has quite the opposite, with no fresh injury concerns but just the one injury, with Eunan O'Kane, set to be back in early  2021.

Predicted lineups

Reading:

Rafael; Holmes, McIntyre, Morrison, Esteves, Rinomhota, Laurent, Olise, Ejaria, Aluko, Baldock.

Luton:

Shea; Cranie, Lockyer, Bradley, Potts, Norrington-Davies, Mpanzu, Dewsbury-Hall, Berry, Hylton, Collins.

Ones to watch

Michael Olise

With seven assists so far, he has the most in the Championship so far and a the age of 19, he has a very high ceiling. So much so that clubs like Liverpool, Chelsea, and AC Milan have reportedly shown interest. Reading will have a lot to do to keep him a the club until the summer.

Rhys Norrington-Davies

The left wing-back has been crucial to the way Luton play, with him being a perfect gift as an attacking left-back. The Welshman puts delightful crosses in, week in week out. He caused Reading many problems the last time they met and is sure to do the same yet again.

Previous meetings

The last time these two met was earlier in the season in the Carabao Cup when Luton won 0-1 at the Madejski Stadium through a Jordan Clark header. The last time these two met in the league was last season after the restart when Reading beat Luton 0-5 at Kenilworth Road.

How to watch

The match will kick-off at 3:00 pm on Saturday, December 26, and is available to watch by purchasing an iFollow pass for £10.