Middlesbrough are still expected to be without Anfernee Dijksteel when they face Birmingham this weekend.The defender has not featured for Boro since coming off against Blackpool last month.Manager Neil Warnock is also without Dael Fry, Grant Hall and Marc Bola, who are all out through injury.Warnock told the club website that Djiksteel is “the nearest one to coming back” but the Bir...Full Story »

Reading manager Veljko Paunovic admitted his side “crumbled” after they let slip a 2-0 half-time lead to lose 3-2 at home to Blackpool in the Championship.Goals from Scott Dann and Tom Dele-Bashiru had given in-form Reading, who had won five of their previous six games, a comfortable advantage after 21 minutes.But Blackpool deservedly drew level with second-half efforts from Owen Dal...Full Story »

Liverpool defender Virgil Van Dijk knows he is being closely watched to see how well he has recovered from knee surgery but feels he still has plenty of room for improvement.It is exactly a year to the day since the Netherlands captain was given the diagnosis by a specialist he would require an operation on an anterior cruciate ligament tear in his right knee, after a challenge by Everton goalke...Full Story »

Reading manager Veljko Paunovic admitted the 1-0 win over Barnsley was “a bit of a relief” as they were made to battle for the points at the Select Car Leasing Stadium.Although Barnsley dominated the first half, they squandered a series of good chances, most notably through Cauley Woodrow.Callum Brittain also struck a post for the visitors early in the second period, before John Swif...Full Story »

Reading boss Veljko Paunovic is hoping the international break has allowed some of his players to regain fitness in time for the visit of Barnsley.Andy Rinomhota, who has been out with an ankle injury since the beginning of September, could be back in the squad on Saturday while Alen Halilovic (soft tissue), Dejan Tetek (ankle) and Andy Yiadom (foot) are also nearing a return to fitness.Tom McIn...Full Story »

Reading manager Veljko Paunovic vowed to ignore matters out of his control with the Sky Bet Championship club potentially facing a nine-point deduction for breaching EFL financial guidelines.Paunovic spoke after Alen Halilovic’s first goal for Reading, in the 55th minute, secured a hard-earned 1-0 home victory over Middlesbrough – their third successive win.Boro rallied late on but t...Full Story »

Reading boss Veljko Paunovic insisted he was not surprised by the quality of Ovie Ejaria’s goals after the midfielder struck twice in his side’s 2-1 win at Fulham.Ejaria put the Royals on course for victory with a curling shot in the 19th minute and then added a 53rd-minute second with a superb turn and shot.The 23-year-old’s double strike were his first goals of the season and...Full Story »

Reading manager Veljko Paunovic praised stand-in rookie goalkeeper Luke Southwood for his vital role in the 3-1 home victory over fellow Championship strugglers Peterborough.A drab first half was memorable only for Southwood’s stunning saves to deny long-range efforts from Siriki Dembele and Ollie Norburn.Reading improved after the break, with John Swift firing in his seventh goal of the s...Full Story »

Liverpool defender Jurgen Klopp has admitted it was "scary moment" watching Virgil van Dijk involved in a nasty collision playing for the Netherlands. The Dutchman was pictured limping in his country's 6-1 victory against Turkey against Tuesday. Van Dijk quickly allayed fears over a significant injury when speaking to reporters after the World Cup qualifier, and he also had to speak with his...Full Story »

Reading manager Veljko Paunovic believes his players have rediscovered their “warrior spirit” after claiming a 2-1 Championship victory over Preston.Femi Azeez put Reading 1-0 ahead in the 28th minute with his first senior goal on only his third league appearance.Preston equalised just past the hour mark through a Daniel Johnson penalty but Reading secured their first league win of t...Full Story »

Reading are expected to make a number of changes for their Carabao Cup first-round clash with Swansea.The Royals were hit by a coronavirus outbreak during a pre-season training camp in Scotland and manager Veljko Paunovic admits his squad are still playing catch-up in terms of match fitness.Youngsters Femi Azeez and Ethan Bristow made their first league starts for Reading in their 3-2 Sky Bet Ch...Full Story »

Liverpool defender Virgil Van Dijk looks set to make his return to action this week after nine months out with a serious knee injury. The Holland captain has been out since undergoing surgery on the anterior cruciate ligament in his right leg after a clash with Jordan Pickford in October's Merseyside derby. Van Dijk has sat out the first three training games at the club's camp in Austria but...Full Story »

Reading manager Veljko Paunovic felt his side lacked the killer instinct required to keep alive their fading play-off hopes when held to a goalless draw at Luton.Needing a win to bolster their chances of finishing inside the top six, the Royals only had one shot on target all night, as they fell six points behind Barnsley with just three games left.Paunovic said: “We have to convert our op...Full Story »