Albion face Reading at the Amex this afternoon and here is our lowdown on how the Royals play and which players to watch out for.

HOW THEY PLAY

It is a bit early in the day for new manager Steve Clarke to settle on a preferred formation but he set up with a back to basics 4-4-2 line-up against promotion hopefuls Watford at Madejski Stadium. The former West Brom boss has had little time to work with his new squad after he was appointed last Tuesday afternoon, less than 24 hours after Nigel Adkins had been fired. But he was pleased to see that some of his ideas were taken on board by the players, who he only met for a first time on Thursday. And despite a 1-0 defeat against a Watford side reduced to ten men by Gabriele Angella’s red card, it seems likely he will stick with the 4-4-2 formation as he tries to build his side’s confidence following back-to-back defeats including the demoralising 6-1 at Birmingham City.

IN GOAL

Australian Adam Federici (6ft 2in) has played 21 league games this season and more than 200 for the club. He has Premier League, Olympic and World Cup experience under his belt and is regarded as a safe pair of hands despite the Royals’ recent problems, including the six-goal bashing at Birmingham.

AT THE BACK

Alex Pearce was one of two changes made by Clarke for his first game in charge. The Academy graduate was given the honour of captaining the side and consensus was Royals looked much more solid with his inclusion at centre-back. Jake Cooper, 19, dropped to the bench as the more experienced Pearce, 26, was given the nod alongside Michael Hetor. Chris Gunter, who impressed against Watford in the 1-0 loss, and Jonathan Obita operate as full-backs.

MIDFIELD

Danny Guthrie could make his return after recovering from a calf injury that has restricted him to just one start and four substitute appearances. Some Royals fans were pleased to see their side play more directly against Watford with winger Gareth McCleary encouraged to get forward on one side and Nick Blackman on the other flank. Oliver Norwood and Daniel Williams held the central midfield roles but Guthrie’s return could mean a change there.

UP FRONT

Reading are struggling to score goals even though they have former Albion frontman Glenn Murray among their ranks. Simon Cox partnered Murray last Saturday but it was ten-man Watford who grabbed the 1-0 win when they demonstrated a clinical edge that has been missing from Reading’s game. Cox briefly worked with Clarke at West Brom and is likely to continue up front. The imposing Pavel Pogrebnyak is still out.