Reading FC will be looking to pile the misery on Wigan Athletic following their 6-1 defeat at the weekend which resulted in manager Ryan Lowe being sacked.
The damaging defeat for the Latics leaves them in the League One relegation zone on 31 points from 29 games
From a Reading perspective, the timing of the trip to Greater Manchester is hard to ignore. Managerial changes can spark a reaction, but they also bring uncertainty, and the Royals arrive knowing a composed performance could expose a Wigan side still reeling from midweek events.
However, Reading go into the game on the back of a disappointing loss at AFC Wimbledon which dealt a big blow to any hopes of pushing for a play-off place.
Wigan are without a win in their last six League One matches, a run that culminated in that heavy loss and the departure of their boss. In that period they have scored just four goals and conceded heavily which sees them in the bottom four.
Royals manager Leam Richardson previously managed Wigan and had a successful spell which saw them win the League One title in the 2021/22 campaign after totalling 92 points.
However, his spell with Wigan ended in November 2022 following a run of six defeats in seven matches, a sequence of results that saw the club drop into the Championship relegation zone. The decision came just 16 days after Richardson had signed a new three-year contract with the Latics.
