Nuno set to shake up his starting XI for Reading test

Posted Friday, March 02, 2018 by PA

Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo may freshen up his team when Reading visit Molineux.

The Portuguese had named the same starting line-up for five matches in a row until Ruben Neves was suspended for last weekend’s trip to Fulham, where Wolves produced probably their worst performance of the season in a 2-0 defeat.

Neves remains banned but Diogo Jota is a strong contender for a recall while Benik Afobe could also come into Nuno’s thinking.

Defeat at Craven Cottage extended Wolves’ winless run to three games, their longest run so far this campaign without a Sky Bet Championship victory, and saw their lead at the top of the table trimmed to six points.

Reading continue to monitor the fitness of John Swift.

The creative midfielder has been struggling with a persistent hamstring injury. He played half an hour of last weekend’s draw with Derby but was then absent from the squad for the midweek defeat to Sheffield United.

Sone Aluko was also missing on Tuesday night and the striker will be assessed ahead of the evening kick-off at Molineux.

Garath McCleary (ankle) is a new injury concern following the loss to the Blades while Yann Kermorgant (calf) remains out.