Reading v Leicester preview

Gallagher: Pushing for start

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Leicester will have one eye on the play-off places when they travel to the Madejski Stadium to face Reading on Monday.

The Foxes know that three points over Brendan Rodgers' struggling side will lift them into the top six at the expense of QPR.

Meanwhile Reading have lost their last three Championship games and have won just once in eight games while astonishingly the Royals have not won at home since January.

The dismal run of results leaves the club in the bottom three, a position that will hurt Reading fans, many of whom held promotion aspirations at the beginning of the campaign.

Royals news

Reading will be without captain Inver Ingimarsson with the defender sitting out a one-match ban having been dismissed during the 4-1 defeat at QPR last Tuesday.

Left-back Ryan Bertrand may return after missing the thrashing at Loftus Road with a head injury so Darren O'Dea should move across from full-back to replace Ingimarsson.

Striker Noel Hunt remains sidelined with a knee injury so manager Rodgers will choose from Grzegorz Rasiak, Simon Church and Shane Long in attack.

Left-back Chris Armstrong remains a long-term absentee after knee surgery in the summer while Czech Republic international Marek Matejovsky is in contention for a first start in a month after impressing for the reserves.

Foxes news

Leicester manager Nigel Pearson has no new injuries to worry him for the trip but Paul Gallagher is expected to start having come off the bench at half-time against Crystal Palace last time out with the score at 0-0 only to grab a brace and secure his side the win.

Pearson also handed on-loan Manchester City full-back Ryan McGivern his first start last Tuesday and he will again start ahead of Bruno Berner.

Bulgarian defender Aleksandar Tunchev remains the only absentee as he recovers from another knee operation as Pearson looks to extend the Foxes' unbeaten run to five.