FA Cup | Third Round

Jan 11, 2025 at 3pm UK

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Reading vs Burnley

Match preview

Reading couldn't keep up their winning streak of four League One games when they played Charlton Athletic last weekend, but they still got a point from a 0-0 draw at The Valley.

Noel Hunt's now got three wins, three draws and two defeats from eight matches since he replaced Ruben Selles as head coach, and his Royals side are sitting sixth in the League One table, three points ahead of seventh-placed Stockport County, who've played a game more.

With the club's ownership status still up in the air, Reading are aiming for promotion from the third tier. But now their focus shifts to the FA Cup, where they'll be trying to make it through the third round for just the fourth time in the last nine seasons.

Last season, the Royals were knocked out by non-league Eastleigh in round two, but they had to use extra time to beat seventh-tier outfit Harborough Town 5-3 in an exciting second-round tie at the start of December. That was just a month after they beat League Two side Fleetwood Town 2-0 in round one.

Reading will be playing their third home game in a row this weekend, and they've won 10 of their last 14 FA Cup games at home, including each of their last four. But the Royals have only made it through to the next round from two of their last nine FA Cup games against teams from a higher division.

Since losing 1-0 at Millwall on 3 November, Burnley have not lost a single game in the Championship, collecting 29 points along the way as they look to make a push for promotion and the title.

The Clarets haven't let in a goal for over 360 minutes, and they followed up draws with Middlesbrough and Stoke City with a narrow 1-0 victory over local rivals Blackburn Rovers last weekend, thanks to a second-half goal from Zian Flemming.

Scott Parker has hailed Burnley's "sensational" defensive resilience - with a Championship-low nine goals conceded in 26 games - and he was "satisfied" with his team's derby success at Ewood Park, which has helped them move to within one point of leaders Leeds United.

But it won't be easy for Burnley, who have a tough run of fixtures coming up against promotion rivals Sunderland and Leeds. They're going to be focusing on the FA Cup for now, though, as they try to avoid a third-round elimination for the first time since 2012-15.

But it's not a given for Burnley. They've lost their last two FA Cup meetings with Reading and they've only won one of their last 20 away games with the Royals. They've drawn nine and lost 10 in all competitions.

Recent Performance

Reading FA Cup form:WW

Reading form (all competitions):LLWWWD

Burnley form (all competitions):WWWDDW

Team News

Reading's Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan, Jeriel Dorsett, Andy Yiadom, Adrian Akande and Michael Craig have all returned to training this week, with the latter doing partial sessions. However, Saturday's game will be too soon for the five of them, and Mamadi Camara is a couple of weeks away from returning to first-team action.

Hunt will decide whether to bring back goalkeeper David Button, who started in the last two rounds, or stick with first-choice shot-stopper Joel Pereira.

Attacking midfielder Harvey Knibbs and striker Sam Smith have been two of the best performers for the Royals this season, scoring a combined 19 goals in all competitions, and they are both expected to be named in the starting lineup.

As for Burnley, Jordan Beyer, Aaron Ramsey, Enock Agyei and Mike Tresor are still out with injuries, and Hannibal Mejbri will serve the second of a three-game ban.

But good news, Manuel Benson and Nathan Redmond have both returned to training this week. Redmond hasn't played since January last year, so there's a chance he could feature this weekend.

New signing Oliver Sonne is now ready to make his Clarets debut and the Danish right-back is set to compete with Connor Roberts for a place at right-back.

Possible starting lineup

Reading possible starting lineup:

Button; Mbengue, Dean, Bindon, Kanu; Savage, Wing, Knibbs; Abrefa, Smith, Garcia

Burnley possible starting lineup:

Hladky; Sonne, Egan, Worrall, Pires; Cullen, Laurent; Koleosho, Brownhill, Anthony; Foster