READING can resume winning ways at the expense of Manchester City when the pair clash at the Majedski Stadium on Monday night - a Premiership match that will be shown live on Sky Sports 1.
The Royals, chalked up at 6-4 by Bet Direct, lost only twice on their way to winning the Championship by 16 points last season and have already lost that many after only three matches in the top flight. However, Steve Coppell’s team have shown enough to suggest that they will hold their own over the months ahead.
They began with a stirring 3-2 win over Middlesbrough after trailing 2-0 and have been anything but outclassed since - losing away to Aston Villa (2-1 after being reduced to ten men for the last hour) and Wigan (1-0).
Back on their own patch, they can prove too strong for a City side who lost 13 times on their travels last season - more than Birmingham City and West Bromwich Albion, who were both relegated.
Stuart Pearce’s side, generally quoted at 7-4, began this campaign with a 3-0 defeat away to Chelsea and were then then held to a goalless draw in their opening home match by Portsmouth. A 1-0 win over Arsenal in their latest fixture looks good on paper, but the Gunners, who have made a stuttering start to the season, would have won that match easily with a bit more composure in front of goal.
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The draw is 15-8 with Paddy Power, but this is the kind of fixture that Reading need to win and they will not be content with a point.