Barnsley v Reading

Barnsley face high flying Reading at Oakwell

Barnsley could give a debut to defender Lee Collins who joined the club on-loan from Port Vale.

No recoveries from the long term injury list.

Reading have midfielder Hayden Mullins available after he signed for the club on-loan from Portsmouth.

Forward Jimmy Kebe could return after a knee injury but full-back Matthew Connolly is out with and ankle knock.

Head-to-head

• Reading have won 26 and Barnsley 25 of the 67 competitive matches between these clubs, with 16 drawn. Barnsley have scored 98 goals in league and cup against the Royals, while Reading have netted 97 league goals against the Tykes.

• Barnsley won the reverse fixture 2-1 in August, in a match where three penalties were awarded.

• That game provided the South Yorkshire club with their first points in five clashes with Reading, and gave them the chance of a first double in 15 years.

Barnsley

• 17th placed Barnsley have won a third of their league matches. The first of their 12 victories was 2-1, away to Reading on 20 August.

• Keith Hill's men have only picked up one point in five games, and are in danger of three successive defeats for the second time in 17 Championship outings.

• Only two clubs have conceded more Championship goals than the Tykes, while at the other end they'll be hoping to score for the first time in three games.

Reading

• Victory for Reading, coupled with defeat for Southampton at Millwall, will see the Royals at the top of the Championship table for the first time since their promotion campaign in 2006.

• Doncaster may have denied Reading a ninth successive league win with a 1-1 draw midweek, but the point lifted the Royals into an automatic promotion place, having only entered the top-half of the table in late November.

• The Berkshire club have the second best defensive record in the division, with just 30 goals conceded; Hull have shipped 28.

Unfortunately I can't see past anything other than a Reading victory. How the reds cope with Ian Harte's delivery will be vital.

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