Ramy Abou-Setta, Reading reporter for the Reading Chronicle, has provided the lowdown on the Royals ahead of Brentford's Carabao Cup third-round tie at Select Car Leasing Stadium on Tuesday night (8pm kick-off BST, live on Sky Sports+).

Reading have won two of their opening five Sky Bet League One games this season and reached round three of the Carabao Cup with victories over Bromley and Stevenage.

The local journalist discusses the Royals' promotion ambitions under Leam Richardson, the impact of summer signing George Earthy, and why former Brentford B winger Kyreece Lisbie could pose a threat on Tuesday night.

What have you made of Reading’s start to 2026/27?

It has been a decent start. In the first game, they were 3-1 up at half-time against Luton, but lost 4-3, which was definitely harking back to the Reading of last season, where they faltered at the end.

But now the window is closed and they have played a few more games, it seems like they are going in the right direction. They brought in the right players, and one of the big names they brought in was George Earthy from West Ham, who was considered one of their best young prospects. He has scored two goals in two games and has been instrumental.

Kyreece Lisbie has been doing well, too. It is starting to look like it is all clicking for Leam Richardson and the squad and they are all on the same page.

The goal is promotion, there is no doubt about that, and they treat every game the same, wanting to put their best foot forward.

The Royals finished 12th last season, missing out on the play-offs by 12 points in the end. Do you think they are capable of challenging to get into the top six this term?

I think so, but I am being optimistic. There is still the January transfer window and it depends on what happens in the next few weeks in League One.

They are already starting to climb the table and are not far behind the leaders. It feels like there is a bit of competition for the top six this season, too.

In the last few seasons, there were runaways like Lincoln, Cardiff and Birmingham, but it does not feel like it will be the case. Sheffield Wednesday are a really good team and have started well, but can they sustain that for the whole season?

Leicester have had a really rocky start under Russell Martin, but they are another one to keep an eye on. A lot of the teams that were in contention last season have not really started in the best fashion or have lost some of their key players, so it feels like Reading have a real chance to push forward and make their mark.

It is no secret they believe they are a Championship team and they are really pushing to get out of League One this season. Richardson has done it before with Wigan and they trust he can do it again.

He has got some really exciting players on his hands, so if they can sustain the wins, the clean sheets and their understanding of the league, I think they will manage it in the end.

How will Leam Richardson be approaching this game against Brentford?

They will approach it like they approach every single game, where they believe they can win. They do not see any opponent as too big or too small; they give them the respect they deserve.

Brentford are a massive club, but not so long ago, they were in a similar position to Reading, so they still see them as Brentford of the past, which is obviously not the case!

They will give it their all, play to their strengths and see how they get on. Championship and League One clubs have pulled surprises out of the bag. That is the beauty of the cup competitions.

You never really know what will happen.

Which player should Brentford be keeping an eye out for on Tuesday night?

There are quite a few to pick from now! I know the obvious one would be Jack Marriott, but I am going to go for Kyreece Lisbie, who Brentford will be aware of from his time with the B team.

He is a tricky winger who, I think, has the potential to play in the Premier League one day. He has got the technical ability, the pace, the know-how, the drive and the hunger.

He plays really well in those final-third moments and knows how to get the ball past a defender really well. No matter the level, he knows how to deal with these one-v-one situations.

He can find a pass out of nowhere and his pace is probably the best in League One, and he would rival players in the Premier League.

What should Keith Andrews’ side expect in terms of shape and style?

Richardson plays a 4-2-3-1 as his staple formation. It can change in attacking phases to a 3-4-2-1 or a 3-4-3, depending on how he wants to shape his attack, whether he wants more wide players or whether he wants the no.10 to act as a second striker.

In possession, they will play with three at the back and out of possession, they will play with four at the back. He loves using the full-backs to help out in attack and be the extra man in the box or an extra passing option.

The ball is always set to go to Marriott, and I am assuming he will play against Brentford. But now they have Jamie Reid and Jacob Brown as well and they are completely different profiles of striker, so the tactics change depending on who the no.9 is.

But in terms of the team around the striker, that does not tend to change. They are set in terms of how Richardson wants them to play, it is literally just a straight swap when it comes to who is playing up front.

What’s your score prediction for Tuesday’s Carabao Cup tie?

I think it will end 2-2 after 90 minutes, but Brentford will win on penalties.