READING FC face a precarious task when they host league leaders and champions elect Burnley on Saturday.
The Royals, who are in 22nd place in the Championship, are in desperate need of points to try and drag themselves out of the mire in the final five games of the campaign.
A last gasp loss to Preston leaves the side one point from safety after relegation rivals Huddersfield Town and QPR picked up a point each on Monday.
The game will be Noel Hunt’s first game in charge after Paul Ince’s contract as manager was terminated on Tuesday.
Reading face one of the trickiest tasks of the season when they take on already promoted Burnley this weekend.
Vincent Kompany’s team ensured they made an instant return to the Premier League after last season’s relegation when they confirmed promotion last week with a win over Middlesbrough.
The Clarets have been in scintillating form all season and dispatched of closest challengers Sheffield United on Monday night with a 2-0 victory.
They lead the Championship by 14 points and have six games left to play having accumulated 90 points in 40 games.
Burnley will have their sights set on taking Reading’s Championship record of 106 points which they achieved in the 2005/06 season.
Kompany’s men will need to pick up 17 points from a possible 18 in their remaining matches to surpass Reading’s total.
Burnley have lost just two games all season on their way to achieving promotion back to the top flight.
However, when the team’s met at Turf Moor in October, it was a much closer contest than many might have expected.
Tom Ince scored in the 56th minute to put Reading in front before Manuel Benson levelled the game 10 minutes later.
Paul Ince was left fuming with the referee after he denied Reading what looked like a clear penalty in the dying moments of the game when Tom Ince was tripped in the box.
To compound Reading’s bad luck and misery, Burnley went down the other end and snatched a 94th minute winner through Anass Zaroury
Burnley’s last visit to Berkshire in February 2016 ended in a goalless draw.
