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Played
December 11, 2012 7:45 PM GMT
Stadium of Light — Sunderland
Referee: N. Swarbrick
Attendance: 37723
December 11, 2012 7:45 PM GMT
Stadium of Light — Sunderland
Referee: N. Swarbrick
Attendance: 37723
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| Sunderland | 1.90 | 1.00 | 1.91 | 0.00 | 1.00 | 1.90 | 1.01 | 1.01 | 1.89 |
| Draw | 3.40 | 46.00 | 3.30 | 0.00 | 51.00 | 3.50 | 15.00 | 18.00 | 3.46 |
| Reading | 4.00 | 71.00 | 4.33 | 0.00 | 401.00 | 4.15 | 50.00 | 150.00 | 4.31 |
Sunderland - Reading Preview: Black Cats looking for just second home win in rescheduled clash with Royals
Martin O'Neill's side have not won in four games but face newly promoted opposition who are also struggling near the foot of the Premier League and are without an away victory
By Tim Poole
Getty Images
| PROBABLE LINEUPS |
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SUNDERLAND  Mignolet Bardsley, Bramble, Cuellar, Rose Larsson, Gardner, McClean, Johnson Sessegnon Saha |
READING
 Federici Shorey, Mariappa, Gorkss, Harte McAnuff, Leigertwood, Tabb, Robson-Kanu Roberts, Le Fondre |
Sunderland boss Martin O'Neill will be without veteran defenders Wes Brown and John O'Shea, so Titus Bramble may be forced to deputise at centre-half.
O'Neill does, however, have an array of options in midfield to replace the suspended Lee Cattermole, and the Northern Irishman may look to bring 23-year-old James McClean back into the fold.
The Black Cats' toughest selection dilemma looks to be in attack, with top scorer Steven Fletcher sidelined due to an ankle injury. Louis Saha may stand in for the Scot but youngster Connor Wickham is also in contention after starting last time out against Chelsea.
Visitors Reading, meanwhile, will be without first-choice right-back Chris Gunter, after the defender suffered a hamstring injury that also forced him to miss the weekend match at Southampton.
Elsewhere, Brian McDermott's men are still missing long-term absentees Jem Karacan (knee ligament) and goalkeeper Alex McCarthy (shoulder), while Sean Morrison (ankle) is also unlikely to feature.
Up front, Reading will be without top scorer Pavel Pogrebnyak, but do have Jason Roberts, Noel Hunt and Adam Le Fondre all staking a claim for a starting spot.
| DID YOU KNOW? |
Only QPR have scored fewer Premier League goals than Sunderland this season, with the Black Cats alongside Stoke on the second-lowest tally in the division (14).
- The Mackems have won just once at the Stadium of Light in seven attempts this season, when they beat Wigan 1-0 thanks to a Steven Fletcher goal back in late September.
- O'Neill's men are currently on a winless sequence of four matches, dating back to a 3-1 win at Fulham. Saturday's defeat at home to Chelsea saw them slip into the relegation zone.
- The Black Cats have beaten Reading at the Stadium of Light three times before, but have lost twice and shared the points on three occasions.
- Reading are yet to win on their travels this season, only picking up two of a possible 24 points and losing on six occasions.
- The Royals have not kept a clean sheet in four matches, conceding ten times during that period - including the four they shipped at home to Manchester United two weeks ago.
- Forward Adam le Fondre (pictured right) is Reading's top scorer with six goals in all competitions, but only three of those have come from open play as the frontman has dispatched a total of three spot-kicks.
- A Reading win cannot push them up from 19th, though they can go level on points with Sunderland.
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Field Report
Reader's Predictions
Top 3 Predictions
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Sunderland 2-1 Reading
- 17.23 %
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Sunderland 2-0 Reading
- 13 %
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Sunderland 1-1 Reading
- 7.8 %
| Premier League (EPL) | 2 Feb 2013 | Reading 2 - Sunderland 1 |
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| Premier League (EPL) | 11 Dec 2012 | Sunderland 3 - Reading 0 |
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Sunderland
     |
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| 19 May 2013 | Tottenham 1 - Sunderland 0 | EPL |
| 12 May 2013 | Sunderland 1 - Southampton 1 | EPL |
| 6 May 2013 | Sunderland 1 - Stoke City 1 | EPL |
| 29 Apr 2013 | Aston Villa 6 - Sunderland 1 | EPL |
| 20 Apr 2013 | Sunderland 1 - Everton 0 | EPL |
Reading
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||
| 19 May 2013 | West Ham 4 - Reading 2 | EPL |
| 14 May 2013 | Reading 0 - Manchester City 2 | EPL |
| 4 May 2013 | Fulham 2 - Reading 4 | EPL |
| 28 Apr 2013 | Reading 0 - QPR 0 | EPL |
| 20 Apr 2013 | Norwich City 2 - Reading 1 | EPL |
| Returns: | Sunderland £19.09 |
|
Sign up to Paddy Power for £250 in free bets | |
| Returns: | Draw £510.00 |
|
Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 | |
| Returns: | Reading £4010.00 |
|
Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
| 22 | Simon Mignolet | Goalkeeper |
| 16 | John O'Shea | Defender |
| 24 | Carlos Javier Cuéllar | Defender |
| 25 | Danny Rose | Midfielder |
| 7 | Sebastian Larsson | Midfielder |
| 8 | Craig Gardner | Midfielder |
| 14 | Jack Colback | Midfielder |
| 11 | Adam Johnson | Midfielder |
| 23 | James McClean | Midfielder |
| 28 | Stéphane Sessegnon | Midfielder |
| 26 | Steven Fletcher | Striker |
| 20 | Keiren Westwood | Goalkeeper |
| 2 | Phil Bardsley | Defender |
| 27 | Matthew Kilgallon | Defender |
| 19 | Titus Bramble | Defender |
| 15 | David Vaughan | Midfielder |
| 25 | Fraizer Campbell | Striker |
| 10 | Connor Wickham | Striker |
| 1 | Adam Federici | Goalkeeper |
| 3 | Nicky Shorey | Defender |
| 26 | Alex Pearce | Defender |
| 23 | Adrian Mariappa | Defender |
| 24 | Shaun Cummings | Defender |
| 8 | Mikele Leigertwood | Defender |
| 11 | Jobi McAnuff | Midfielder |
| 12 | Garath McCleary | Midfielder |
| 16 | Jay Tabb | Midfielder |
| 9 | Adam Le Fondre | Striker |
| 10 | Noel Hunt | Striker |
| 12 | Stuart Taylor | Goalkeeper |
| 2 | Chris Gunter | Defender |
| 17 | Kaspars Gorkss | Defender |
| 23 | Ian Harte | Defender |
| 26 | Brynjar Gunnarsson | Midfielder |
| - | Jordan Obita | Midfielder |
| 44 | Dominic Samuel | Striker |
| Adam Johnson | |
| Position: | Midfielder |
| Squad Number: | 11 |
| Games | Goals | YC | RC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
The former Manchester City winger tucked away a sensational left-footed strike against Chelsea on Saturday and, though it proved a mere consolation, it showed what the England international is capable of at his best. If Johnson can produce, the Black Cats are likely to have a lot of joy down that left-hand side.
| Jobi McAnuff | |
| Position: | Midfielder |
| Squad Number: | 11 |
| Games | Goals | YC | RC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 38 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
Every team needs a leader and never moreso than when they are in the relegation mire. For that reason, Reading's fortunes rest largely on the shoulders of skipper McAnuff; if he is up for the fight, it is likely his troops will follow. If not, heads may go down fast.
Both teams desperately need a win but neither side is in great form at the moment. A draw looks likely but with Reading's seeming inability to defend and lethal potency at the other end of the field, goals may be on the cards.
Results
Times In GMT
Live
Final
scheduled
Suspended
Cancelled
Postponed
Match News
Top Scorers
| Player | Goals | Penalties | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Robin van Persie Striker Manchester United |
26 | 3 |
|
Luis Suárez Striker Liverpool |
23 | 0 |
|
Gareth Bale Midfielder Tottenham |
21 | 0 |
|
C. Benteke Striker Aston Villa |
19 | 3 |
|
Michu Midfielder Swansea City |
19 | 0 |
