After a sustained push for the playoffs last season, eventually finishing in seventh spot, Reading narrowly lost 3-2 to Stoke City in the opening game of the new campaign, before they bounced back with a 2-1 home victory over Preston North End thanks to goals from Femi Azeez and John Swift.
Veljko Paunovic’s side then suffered a run of three straight defeats in England’s second tier, falling to Bristol City, Coventry City and Huddersfield Town, as they conceded nine goals in that time while scoring three at the other end.
Following the recent international break, the Royals faced a tough test at home to a confident QPR side on Saturday, and a Michael Morrison own goal saw them fall behind.
Reading managed to turn the game on its head though, as Swift hit a hat-trick to put his side 3-1 ahead, only for Andre Gray to pull a goal back with 10 minutes to go and Stefan Johansen to hit an equaliser in added time, forcing Paunovic’s men to settle for a point.
Despite taking on a side who have had a strong start to the season, the Royals will certainly feel that they dropped two points in that outing, and will be desperate to bounce back and climb the table with a victory on home turf on Tuesday.
They take on a Peterborough side in a similar situation, as the visitors go in search of an elusive victory after three consecutive league defeats.
After winning promotion from League One last season, the Posh began life back in the Championship with a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Luton Town.
Darren Ferguson’s men quickly bounced back though, as a 91st-minute equaliser from Harrison Burrows and a 100th-minute Siriki Dembele winner saw them overturn a deficit to hand Derby County a 2-1 defeat.
They were then on the wrong end of late drama, as goals in the 83rd and 96th minutes from Cardiff City defender Aden Flint saw the Welsh side come from 2-0 down to snatch a point after Burrows and Dembele had put the Posh ahead.
THat was followed by three straight defeats in the second tier, falling to Preston North End and West Bromwich Albion before being thrashed by Sheffield United last time out.
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A Jack Marriott equaliser saw them go into the break level after Iliman Ndiaye’s opener for the Blades, but goals from John Fleck, Ben Osborn and Morgan Gibbs-White took
the game out of their hands, before Ndiaye and Osborn sealed braces and Jonson Clarke-Harris netted a consolation goal from the penalty spot to see the game finish 6-2.
With both sides sitting in the bottom three with four points from six games, they will be equally keen to return to winning ways and quickly get their campaigns up and running
