THE OPPOSITION
A penalty kick away from the promised land of the Premier League less than two years ago, Reading are in real danger of slipping out of the second tier this term, heading into the weekend just two points above the drop zone.
Four league wins in four months spelled the end of Paul Clement's time in Berkshire back in December, Jose Gomes appointed his replacement at the end of 2018. Under the Portuguese manager, The Royals have become more resilient, winning five and drawing seven of their last 18 league games.
They head into Saturday's game on a run of just one defeat in seven on home soil, that coming against Leeds United. Wednesday night was a rollercoaster of emotions for Reading fans as they netted a 97th minute equaliser at top-of-the-table Norwich City, having led 1-0 with just five minutes to go.
Goals have been thin on the ground for the Reading squad this season. Top scorer Yakou Meite has nine but behind Jon Dadi Bodvarrsson (7), who has been out since February, no other player has more than five league strikes.
TEAM NEWS
Thomas Frank confirmed on Wednesday that Daniel Bentley will be out for the rest of the season while Yoann Barbet should be back in contention in a couple of weeks. Kamohelo Mokotjo is touch and go after missing the midweek win over Ipswich Town with concussion.
For The Royals, on-loan striker Nelson Oliveira is available again after being ineligible for the trip to parent club Norwich on Wednesday. John Swift (hip), Jon Dadi Bodvarsson (back), Saeid Ezatolahi (thigh) and Omar Richards (knee) are all doubts.
THE MANAGER
Jose Gomes went straight into coaching in his early 20s, holding a number of different roles in his native Portugal before taking the helm at Paços in 2003. It wasn't an auspicious start as he was fired after seven losses in his first eight games. The following four years brought about five different managerial roles, mainly in the Portuguese second division. In May 2008, Gomes was hired by FC Porto as part of Jesualdo Ferreira's staff, also going on to spend several years as his assistant at Málaga CF and Panathinaikos FC.
In January 2013, Hungarian side Videoton appointed Gomes as the new manager. He led the team to fourth place in Nemzeti Bajnokság I in his only full season, also losing the final of the Ligakupa to Diósgyőri VTK. Gomes then spent two seasons as head coach of Al-Taawoun FC in the Saudi Professional League. On 30 May 2016 he joined Al-Ahli Saudi FC in the same league, signing a three-year deal after Christian Gross did not renew his contract. In early October, however, he was sacked and replaced by Gross.
PRE-MATCH FEATURES
⚖ Ref Watch: Stephen Martin will be in charge on Saturday
LAST TIME OUT
A single Lasse Vibe goal ensured all three points from our most recent trip to Berkshire
TICKET AND TRAVEL INFO
Around 2000 Brentford fans will be heading to The Madejski Stadium tomorrow afternoon to back the team. Advanced sales have now ended and there will be NO matchday Pay on the Day.
Plan your journey to RG2 with our Away Day Guide.
MATCH COVERAGE
Mark Burridge is your host for live match commentary tonight from 2.30pm. He is joined by Marcus Gayle to talk through the highlights and take you to full-time on iFollow Brentford.
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