Premier League: Liverpool v Reading match preview

A look ahead to this weekend's Premier League fixture at Anfield

Liverpool will be hoping their quest for a first home league win of the season will come to an end on Saturday when they come up against a Reading side who sit in the relegation zone.

If the Royals are to come away from Anfield with any points, they’ll need top scorer Pavel Pogbrenyak to be on form. The Russian has scored four goals since joining from Fulham in the summer.

Talking of strikers, Liverpool are down to one. Luis Suarez is the last forward standing after it was announced this week that Fabio Borini had to undergo surgery on a broken foot sustained on international duty with Italy’s Under-21s.

KICK-OFF: Saturday, 3pm

PAST THREE MEETINGS…

Liverpool 1 (Bertrand OG) Reading 2 (Sigurdsson, Long), FA Cup, January 2010

Reading 1 (Church) Liverpool 1 (Gerrard), FA Cup, January 2010

Liverpool 2 (Mascherano, Torres) Reading 1 (Matejovsky), Premier League, March 2008

STATS...

Liverpool’s start of six points from seven games is their joint-worst points tally after that number of games, equal with with last season’s poor start.

Reading have won just two of their last 23 away games in the Premier League, losing 15 and drawing six.

Five players survive from when the Royals were last in the Premier League during the 2007-08 season, including Nicky Shorey who has returned to the club after spells at Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion.

ODDS...

Liverpool to win: 1.33

Reading to win: 9.0

Draw: 5.0

TV: Highlights on BBC1 at 10.30pm