Leyton Orient travel to face Reading at the Madejski Stadium this Wednesday night aiming to build on their recent victory. The League One fixture kicks off at 20:00 local time.
Richie Wellens's side moved up to ninth in the table after a 2-0 home win against Blackpool last Friday. William Forrester opened the scoring in the 31st minute before Dane Scarlett converted a second-half penalty. That result gave Orient their second win in the last four outings, a sequence that also included a goalless draw with Bradford and a defeat to Plymouth. Their form over the last five games reads two wins, one draw and two losses.
They now face a Reading side who are two places above them in seventh. The Royals' recent results have been mixed, with a heavy 5-1 win over Milton Keynes Dons followed by a 1-0 loss to Wigan last time out. In their last meeting, on 17 January, Leyton Orient ran out 3-1 winners at Brisbane Road.
Orient are expected to field a similar side to the one that beat Blackpool. That 4-2-3-1 setup featured Baxter in goal behind a back four of Gilchrist, Olowu, Forrester and Morris. Hayden and Stevens anchored the midfield, with Akhamrich, Gilbert and J. Kabia supporting striker Connolly. Kabia is the club's top scorer this season with four goals in six appearances.
Reading's last starting XI was a 4-1-3-2 formation with Joel Pereira in goal and a defence including Godwin-Malife and Paul O'Connor. The midfield trio of Rinomhota, Wing and Kyreece Lisbie will look to supply forwards Stokes and Reid.
With 14 points from their opening 10 games, Orient are six points off the early pace set by leaders Bradford. A positive result in Berkshire would provide a solid platform ahead of the next run of fixtures. The match is the next entry on the calendar for the O's.
He confirmed Pereira will start in goal, with O'Connor expected to be fit after a minor knock in training. For Orient, Wellens reported a fully fit squad with no new injury concerns, allowing him to maintain consistency in selection.
They have lost just once at the Madejski Stadium in the league. Orient's away record shows two wins, one draw, and two defeats from their five games on the road. The referee for the encounter will be James Linington, who has overseen three Reading matches previously, all of which ended in victories for the Berkshire side.
