With less than a month of the Championship season remaining, Reading will host Cardiff City on Saturday looking to take a step closer to mathematical safety.

The Bluebirds are not yet assured Championship football next season, but they seem safe from the drop, while the Royals are seven points further behind and could end the Easter weekend on the brink of survival.

Reading

Nine points is now the gap between Reading and the bottom three, with the Royals also holding a game in hand over the teams around them in the table.

They may not need that to secure their safety, though. Two wins over the Easter weekend coupled with defeats for 22nd-placed Wigan Athletic against high-flying Middlesbrough and Derby County would open up a 15-point gap with as many left up for grabs.

In reality, it would take an unlikely sequence of results for Steve Clarke's side to be dragged down into the mire, but he will still want to get the formalities of survival wrapped up as soon as possible.

Aside from bringing an end to any nagging doubts, it would also allow the Royals to focus fully on the FA Cup, with a Wembley semi-final against current holders Arsenal awaiting them later this month.

Blackpool are their opponents on Tuesday evening - a match that could well see the Tangerines relegated from the division - so victory this weekend would set Reading up nicely for maximum points over the double-header.

They have lost six and won just two of their last nine league games, however, including a 22-minute second-half collapse against Charlton Athletic before the international break that saw them blow a lead and concede three goals before pulling one back in a 3-2 defeat at The Valley.

Reading have only lost three league games in a row once since the beginning of 2014, but they have shipped seven goals on their way to defeats in their last two and will need an improvement if they are to avoid an unwanted hat-trick.

They brought an end to another three-game losing streak last month as victory over Brighton & Hove Albion prevented them from falling to four consecutive defeats at the Madejski, but their home form has been inconsistent all season.

This is the first of eight matches for Reading in the space of 24 days as they prepare for a busy April.

Recent form: LLDWLL
Recent form (all competitions): DDWLWL

Cardiff City

Like Reading, Cardiff have spent much of the season in the bottom half of the table, but they will be optimistic of ending the campaign in the top 12 following their recent upturn in form.

The Bluebirds have been beaten just once in their last five matches, taking points off promotion hopefuls Brentford and Bournemouth in the process, having won just one in 10 before that.

As a result, they now sit just two points off the top half, and victory this weekend, coupled with Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds United both failing to win, would see them climb up to 12th.

Assistant manager Scott Young has outlined the team's desire to finish as high up the table as possible now and, with nothing else on the agenda to distract them, a push for the top 10 by the end of the campaign is likely to be their most realistic ambition.

That target will be perfectly achievable if Cardiff can maintain their recent away form for the remainder of the campaign. The Bluebirds have won their last three games on the road having emerged victorious from only one of their opening 16 league away games.

Another triumph this weekend would give them four in a row away from home for the first time since February 2013, and also stretch their unbeaten record on their travels to six matches.

Recent form: LWLWDW

Team News

Simon Cox is a doubt for the hosts this weekend as he continues to struggle with the knock that kept him out of the match against Charlton last time out, while Nathaniel Chalobah is "behind schedule" and a major doubt for the Easter double-header.

Jure Travner, Stephen Kelly, Anton Ferdinand and the suspended Daniel Williams will play no part, but the Royals have been boosted by the signing of two Premier League players on loan.

Nathan Ake arrived from Chelsea and will be at the club until April 22, while Kwesi Appiah of Crystal Palace has joined until the end of the season. Both are available this weekend and could make their debuts.

Clarke is expected to start with Pavel Pogrebnyak and Jamie Mackie up front again, with the latter having had a hand in five of Reading's last seven league goals and scored four in his last five in all competitions. Pogrebnyak, meanwhile, got both goals in the loss to Charlton.

Cardiff could be boosted by the return of Ben Turner, who had been expected to miss the rest of the season having injured his ankle against Reading in an FA Cup match earlier this year.

The centre-back could be joined in the squad by Joe Mason, who hasn't played for the Bluebirds for 14 months, while Lee Peltier is in line for a recall having returned to fitness over the international break.

Kagisho Dikgacoi and Anthony Pilkington are unlikely to be involved, but Federico Macheda and Alex Revell are both back in training and may feature.

With Kenwyne Jones having left the club on loan, Russell Slade is expected to trial a new strike partnership comprising of Conor McAleny and Eoin Morgan, the latter of whom finally opened his account for the club last time out. Nicky Maynard remains a long-term absentee, however, while Kadeem Harris is still suspended.

Reading possible starting lineup:
Federici; Gunter, Pearce, Hector, Obita; McCleary, Ake, Norwood, Robson-Kanu; Mackie, Pogrebnyak

Cardiff possible starting lineup:
Marshall; Peltier, Ecuele Manga, Morrison, Malone; Noone, Gunnarsson, Whittingham, Ralls; McAleny, Doyle

Head To Head

This will be the third meeting between the two clubs this season, with both sides boasting one win apiece so far. The reverse league fixture went the way of Cardiff as they edged to a 2-1 victory in South Wales, but Reading got a measure of revenge with a win by the same scoreline in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

The Royals have not won a home game against Cardiff since New Year's Day in 2006, when they ran out convincing 5-1 winners. They haven't kept a home clean sheet against the Bluebirds since April 1947.

Furthermore, Cardiff have won the last three league meetings between the two sides and lost just one of the last 11.

Video Preview

Hit play below to see what the Sports Mole Sofa had to say about this encounter:

We say: Reading 0-0 Cardiff

There are usually goals in this fixture, but with not much riding on the game, neither team are likely to go all out for the win. Reading may already have one eye on the FA Cup and, with all of Cardiff's injury problems, Slade may be happy for his side to just get through the match unscathed.