Reading come to Cardiff in 6th place, 1 point ahead of West Ham. They need to keep winning to guarantee a play off place and face Wolves at home and then Wigan away to end the season. They will see this as the easier of the matches and one in which they expect to pick up maximum points.
Over the last couple of seasons Reading have the upper hand on City. Last year a league double and so far this season a 2 - 1 win at the Majdeski means the Royals have won the last three encounters.
Their player to watch is Dave Kitson. The ginger haired striker was close to signing for Cardiff before Reading went in for him. lennie Lawrence openly admits watching the players on many occasions but deciding he was not up to the job.
So far this season Kitson has scored 19 goals, Lennie's preferred choice Alan Lee has scored 6.
"We looked at Kitson a long time before we signed Alan. We were looking at Kitson when we were in the Second Division," said Lawrence.
"John Taylor, who played for me at Luton and Bradford and who is a good friend of mine, was manager of Cambridge then. By the time we came to sign Alan two years ago, we had gone up and the Kitson thing was out of the window. It was inconsistency that put me off signing Kitson. We must have had him watched 15-20 times.
"He was hopeless in half of them, pretty decent in 25 per cent of them and very good in the other 25 per cent."
Kitson has had the last laugh on City on the past two games. He scored both goals as Reading won 2 - 1 in November and he scored his first ever Reading goal at Ninian Park in a 3 - 2 win last season.
“I know Cardiff watched me quite a lot,” Kitson told the Reading Evening Post. “In fact I was told by someone down there they watched me 17 times!
“And I remember Lennie Lawrence’s comments at the time were ‘He’ll be red-hot one day and then not so great’.
“I think I replied at the time, because I had a bit of a mouth then, ‘I was playing for a team (Cambridge) fighting relegation and I can’t play well every week’.
“I still scored quite a lot for a team that was sixth or seventh off the bottom of the old Third Division, but in the end he didn’t go for me.
“He obviously thought it was too much of a gamble, but £150,000 isn’t really a gamble and it’s in the past now.
“I would have gone to Cardiff too had they come in for me, but that’s the way football works, and luckily for me I came to Reading.
“I’m scoring goals for a team going for the play-offs, playing in a good stadium in front of big crowds, so I made a good move in the end.”
Lennie should have declined to talk about the player, prior to previous matches Lennie has told the story of how he didn't fancy taking a chance on the player and on ecah of the last two occasions he's scored against us. Mr Kitson's a bit touchy over being called Ginger as well. Hopefully our own Ginger Monster, James Collins, will keep him out of the game.
Lennie then continued to talk about the player he did sign, Alan Lee
"Alan's time here has been plagued by injuries. He's had three operations since he came to Cardiff," he told the Echo.
"He had two big knee operations last season and that knocked him back. And he had a hernia operation this season so I would be loathe to make any harsh judgments on him.
"Alan needs to clear his head and get a pre-season under his belt before we see the best of him. I wouldn't write him off at all."
Lennie may recall Joe Ledley to play alongside Willie Boland in midfield. Richard Langely has not produced the goods over the last few games so he may find himself on the bench. It seems that Tony Vidmar will keep his place even though it seems certain he is off to Holland in the summer and it's not his best position. You have to feel for Darren Williams who is on the bench and not getting chance to stake a claim for a new contract.
City probable
Alexander, Vidmar, Gabbidon, Collins, Barker, Ardley, Boland, Ledley or Langley, McAnuff, Thorne, Jerome.
Subs (from) Margetson, Williams, Langley or Jerome, Parry, Lee, Bullock.
Reading along with Dave Kitson may start with fromer Arsenal hero Martin Keown. The 38 year old defender started last week when Reading beat Nottingham Forest.
Boss Steve Coppell could bring back Glenn Little to the starting line up. He's not taking anything for granted at Ninian Park tomorrow.
"It will be a difficult match, I saw them at Leicester in midweek and they're a very capable side. They could easily have won and with their own crowd they'll be a handful. he told Reading's official website.
Kick off is at 3:00pm.
City's destiny is in it's own hands. As long as we at worese match the points tally of Brightons over the enxt three games then we will be OK, with goal difference we can even afford to drop a point on them.
Three points would be a huge boost to the club tomorrow. It's time to stand up and be counted. Time to make up for the lost points that have drifted away because of under par home performances. We are not drinking in the last chance soloon just yet but we are in the taxi on they there unless we can get the results needed to make us safe.
Reading are thought to be bringing about 1,800 fans so it should be a great atmosphere.