After Kal Naismith's emphatic late winner against Bournemouth made Kenilworth Road erupt on Saturday, Luton Town travel to Berkshire with the wind in their sails for this midweek game against Reading. 

The Hatters take the 56 mile journey, chipping away at the four games they have in hand on the rest of the league. A win for Nathan Jones' men would see them move 11th as nearest midtable rivals Blackpool and Millwall face each other on Saturday.

Injury riddled Reading look to build off of some shoddy recent form, including a 0-7 home thrashing at the hands of Fulham as well as a 2-1 defeat at Middlesbrough last time out. 

The Royals, who are winless in six, have struggled defensively in recent games. Veljko Paunovic's side are without a clean sheet in any competition since October 16th's 1-0 win against Barnsley.

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In terms of the battle between the two teams, Reading have won their last four home league matches against Luton, scoring 12 goals and conceding just twice. That said, it may be difficult to carry on this record with last seasons top scorers Yakou Meite and Lucas Joao being struck by injuries in recent months. 

Reading are winless in seven home league matches - the last home match was that aforementioned 0-7 humbling at the hands of Marco Silva's Fulham. It was their heaviest ever home defeat in the Football League.

  • Teams

As previously said, home side Reading have struggled with injuries this season and with a woeful recent defensive record, fans may be happy to learn of Michael Morrison's potential return to the Royals lineup. 

The experienced defender could feature for the first time since September after being side-lined by a knee injury.

Midfielder Andy Rinomhota is likely to feature after returning in the Middlesbrough game. Also returning in that game was Lucas Joao. The forward could be a factor against Luton after being out for a near six months. 

There is still uncertainty surrounding Liam Moore. The defender was relieved of his captaincy after a Reading statement revealed his desire to leave the club. He has not featured since December's 1-0 defeat against West Brom.

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For Luton, Peter Kioso has been recalled from Milton Keynes Dons and could make the bench on Wednesday. 

Despite a valuable three points being earned on the weekend, both goal scorer Allan Campbell and Reece Burke couldn't finish the game. Coach Paul Hart spoke via the club's media, suggesting Town were "monitoring those injuries overnight before making a final decision tomorrow.

He also addressed forward Harry Cornick's absence, following his calf injury. "He is still a little bit away because of the nature of his injury but I can report there is good progress being made.

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  • Predicted lineups

Reading: Southwood; Bristow, Laurent, Morrison, Tetek, Rinomhota, Drinkwater, Dele-Bashiru, Swift, Joao, Carroll.

Luton Town: Shea; Bree, Osho, Bradley, Naismith, Bell, Mpanzu, Lansbury, Onyedinma, Adebayo, Jerome.

Referee: Tim Robinson

Assistant Referees: Bhupinder Gill and Natalie Aspinall

Fourth Official: Andy Woolmer

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  • Ones to watch

For Reading their ranks seem bolstered with the return of defensive and offensive players alike. One man who could have a big effect could be Lucas Joao tomorrow, likely moving up front with big man Andy Carroll after getting some minutes under his belt against Middlesbrough. 

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He was a big player for the Berkshire outfit last season - netting 19 goals. With no Yakou Meite, (also another big loss) Lucas Joao's energy and prowess in front of goal paired with Carroll could be what Reading need to start getting some better results on the board, lifting themselves toward the right end of the Championship table.

Carroll himself could prove to be important against the Hatters, recently he's shown he can still score - and in spectacular fashion too. Joao's pace and movement could unlock the ex-Newcastle and Liverpool man further.

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Luton Town's big influence on Wednesday evening could come from the back line once more. Kal Naismith continues to look more and more like bargain of century after joining for free from Wigan Athletic in January last year.

The defender has added crucial goals to his mainly defensive arsenal. The utility man looks able to pop up all over the pitch providing inspiration and aside from Saturday's heroics, he scored a lovely delicate chip in the FA Cup against Harrogate.

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Another man who may be due a big performance for the Hatters is Elijah Adebayo. The forward has 10 league goals this season and was directly involved in a goal in three of his last four Luton games.

Not being able to get on the scoresheet in a challenging fixture with high flying Bournemouth, he may be more likely to bag against a defensively poor Reading side. He could cause trouble for their back line that is a mix of youth and returning injured players. 

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  • How to watch

Kick Off: 20:00 GMT

Tickets for this fixture are still available via both clubs but unfortunately for the fan that can't attend, this game isn't being streamed to watch although audio iFollow passes can be purchased online.

With this being a rescheduled weekend fixture, Reading had the choice to make it available to watch, yet they opted not to have a video stream. 

Highlights will be available on respective clubs' YouTube and social media pages post match. 

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