Reading welcome League One leaders Bradford City to the Select Car Leasing Stadium on Saturday as the Royals face one of the division’s early pace-setters.
Bradford have made a brilliant start to the season, winning five of their opening seven league games to collect 15 points and move to the top of the table.
The Bantams have also had to deal with a major change this week after manager Graham Alexander left the club to take charge of Championship side Preston North End.
Alexander had overseen a strong spell at Bradford, including promotion from League Two and a fourth-place finish in League One last season.
His departure came after Preston sacked Paul Heckingbottom following a poor start to their Championship campaign, with Alexander returning to a club where he had previously played and briefly served as caretaker manager.
Bradford are now continuing their search for a new permanent manager, with Mark Trueman and Colin Doyle taking charge on an interim basis.
Reading boss Leam Richardson has been linked with the vacancy, although there has been no indication that Bradford have approached the former Wigan Athletic and Rotherham United manager.
Richardson has remained in charge at Reading and is under contract with the Royals. He was recently listed among the names linked with the Bradford job, but it appears unlikely that he will leave Reading to join the Bantams.
The managerial situation adds an extra subplot to Saturday’s meeting, with Richardson preparing to face the club whose vacancy he has been linked with.
Reading go into the game after a 2-2 draw at Wycombe Wanderers last weekend, when Danny Ings scored a late equaliser for the hosts.
The Royals have also been boosted by the form of striker Jack Marriott, while Richardson will have to assess his options following confirmation that midfielder George Earthy is set to miss a number of weeks with a plantar fascia injury.
Bradford’s excellent start has been built on a strong defensive record as well as their results, with the Bantams having conceded only four goals in their opening seven league matches.
Saturday’s fixture therefore gives Reading the chance to test themselves against the side currently setting the pace in League One.
Kick-off at the Select Car Leasing Stadium is at 15:00 on Saturday, 3 October.
