MATCH PREVIEW: Albion v Reading

Albion have not won their opening three games at The Hawthorns in the top flight since the 1954/55 season - when Vic Buckingham’s men overcame Arsenal (3-1), Newcastle (4-2) and Preston (2-0).

The Baggies have never started a top-flight campaign with three successive home clean sheets.  

Saturday’s game is the first-ever top-flight fixture between Albion and Reading.

The Baggies have won 16 of their 28 league meetings with the Royals, with six draws and six defeats.

Shane Long prepares to face Reading for the first time since arriving at The Hawthorns on August 9, 2011 – while the Royals’ Shaun Cummings and Nicky Shorey are also set to face their former club. 

Long scored the winning goal the last time these two sides met, when Reading overcame the Baggies 1-0 in an FA Cup tie at the Madejski Stadium in January 2011.

There have been three red cards in the last four meetings between the sides – Shane Long (for Reading), Jonas Olsson and Youssouf Mulumbu have all been dismissed.

Albion have never placed higher than tenth (2010/11) in the Barclays Premier League after five games.

HOME: npower Championship, Saturday, October 17, 2009, Albion 3 (Thomas 29, 65, Mulumbu 87)

AWAY: npower Championship, Saturday, March, 27, 2010, Reading 1 (Sigurdsson 6) Albion 1 (Tamas 86)

ALBION: DLWDWL

READING: WDLDLL

ALBION (v Fulham – away L 3-0): Foster; Jones, McAuley, Olsson, Ridgewell; Mulumbu, Yacob (Rosenberg 76); Odemwingie, Morrison, Fortune (Brunt HT); Long (Lukaku HT). Subs not used: Myhill (gk), Gera, Dorrans, Dawson.

READING: (v Tottenham – home L 1-3): McCarthy, Gunter, Harte, Gorkss, Pearce, Karacan (Le Fondre HT), Leigertwood, Guthrie (Robson-Kanu 83), McCleary, McAnuff, Pogrebnyak (Hunt 83). Subs not used: S Taylor. 

Jason Roberts remains sidelined with an on-going calf/shin problem, while Jimmy Kebe (hamstring) and Adam Federici (knee) could return for the Royals.   

Chris Foy will referee Saturday’s game. The Merseyside official last oversaw the Baggies in a 3-1 home defeat to Newcastle on Sunday, March 25. Foy has dished out four yellow cards in three Premier League games so far this season.

Selected odds from Bet Butler:

Albion to win: 5/6

Reading to win: 19/5

Draw: 14/5

Reading to be winning at half time and Albion at full time: 26/1

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