Sven-Goran Eriksson

Reading v Man City: Preview Manchester City's Brazilian playmaker Elano suffered a knee injury in last week's draw with Wigan but has now made a full return to training and is set to feature.

Defender Nedum Onuoha misses out after tweaking a hamstring - but should be fit to face Tottenham next week - while midfielder Martin Petrov is suspended.

England's Micah Richards, who is making good progress after his recent knee surgery, and Bulgaria forward Valeri Bojinov are City's other absentees.

Manchester City boss Sven-Goran Eriksson is backing his players to deliver - but admits it may not be pretty.

European hopefuls City battled their way to a point in a dour goalless struggle with Wigan last week and Eriksson anticipates more of the same.

After a raft of summer signings, City made a flying start to their Premier League campaign but recent opponents have learnt how to frustrate them.

They have slipped to eighth as a result and with struggling Reading needing points for different reasons this weekend, Eriksson expects another tight game.

The Swede said: "I went to see (Manchester) United-Lyon the other day.

"It was a very good football match but extremely open. It had nothing to do with Manchester City-Wigan, which was not open in any way.

"We expect a similar game. Reading are a fighting team, a good team defending well.

"They get bodies behind the ball when they lose it and are difficult to break down.

"They are good on the counter-attack and their two strikers are doing a great job so I expect a very difficult game.

"You can't expect Reading to give us space and time.

"If they do that we will be the better team. They will do everything to deny space and time for us, that is normal.

"I am confident. It is up to us and I think we can do it.'

	Steve Coppell

Reading will be without skipper Graeme Murty (knee) and midfielder Emerse Fae (malaria) for Saturdays's home Barclays Premier League game with Manchester City.

Winger Glen Little (heel) and midfielder Brynjar Gunnarsson (groin) remain on the sidelines but defender Michael Duberry (knee) rejoins the squad.

The Royals will also be a striker light after Leroy Lita joined Charlton on a month's loan.

Reading manager Steve Coppell has challenged his players to prove last week's win at Middlesbrough was no one-off success in a season of doom.

The Royals take on Manchester City knowing that a good result will see them move out of the Premier League drop zone.

The 1-0 win at the Riverside a week ago was not only their first victory on the road this season but also stopped a run of eight straight defeats. And Coppell called upon his players to take advantage of a weekend when other strugglers were not in action.

He said: "Getting off 22 points was very important because it had become a real millstone round our necks. The same goes for the clean sheet. It was almost as if we had been trying too hard to get one before. It had become such a statement of intent.

"Often in golf the harder you try the worse you get and we had become so focused on a clean sheet it was being forced. Usually you play your best football in a relaxed frame of mind. We were forever frightened of conceding a goal.

"I hope now we are back on track but we need confirmation of that with a good performance on Saturday against a very good team.

"We still have our task in front of us. One result was significant but not very with 10 games and 30 points to play for. There are a lot of managers who are not happy with their situation and I'm one of them.'

City beat Reading 2-1 at Eastlands in November thanks to a last-minute goal from Stephen Ireland and Coppell admitted he had been bitterly disappointed not to have come away with a point that day.

He said: "We played a full part in it at their place but a momentary lapse of concentration cost us.

"We were against a good team that was on a strong run, certainly at home. Now they have had a couple of bad results at home so they will probably enjoy playing away and get back on the winning track as I don't think they have given up their hope of a European spot even if some experts say they have lost their chance.'