Swansea V Reading at Liberty Stadium : Match Preview

05 October 2012 23:01
Swansea V Reading - view commentary, squad, and statistics of the game live.

Laudrup plots fitting celebration for Britton Swansea manager Michael Laudrup is determined to get back to winning ways against Reading - and give Leon Britton an anniversary to remember. Britton is in line to make his 400th appearance for the Swans against the Royals, having initially joined the club on loan from West Ham in December 2002. The 30-year-old midfielder made his debut against Exeter and he is part of a select group to have played in all four divisions of English football. Swansea made a bright start to the season but they will tackle Reading at the Liberty Stadium after three consecutive defeats in which they have failed to score a goal. "It's an important game for us," Laudrup told reporters. "We are playing at home, against a direct rival, and we want to win. "These are the games that we have to get points from. We want to get back to the way we were playing in the first three games because that is very important. "If we can do that then we can win on Saturday. "He (Britton) is an institution at the football club and there are not many players that play for so long at one club, particularly in the modern era, so it is great. "400 games says a lot. Let's hope we can give him a day to remember by winning the game." Swansea started the season with a bang, beating QPR 5-0 and then West Ham 3-0 but since then the goals and the wins have dried up. Successive defeats to Aston Villa, Everton and Stoke have Laudrup concerned, although he is far from panicked by the situation. "No goals, no points has to be taken seriously but you have to keep a balance. If you talk too much about something then sometimes you go on the pitch over-motivated," Laudrup said. "After three defeats obviously there is less confidence but it is still only the seventh game in the league, it does not finish after this weekend. "This is a long road and it's one game on that road." Laudrup is hopeful that Ashley Williams will have recovered from a bout of illness to captain Swansea against Reading, who are chasing their first win of the season. Reading defender Adrian Mariappa insists team morale remains high despite the fact his side are yet to win in the Premier League this season. Brian McDermott's side visit Swansea with only two points to their name, and they currently sit 19th in the table. Despite struggling in the early weeks of their first top-flight season since 2008, Mariappa reckons the Reading squad are still full of confidence. "The mood in the dressing room has always been the same," he said. "We know what we are capable of and what we can do, obviously people write us off early doors being the team that is newly-promoted. "But we know what we are capable of and what we have in the dressing room and it is just about going out on a Saturday and executing our game plan." Jamaica international Mariappa joined Reading in the summer from Watford but the 25-year-old had to be patient in waiting for his first-team opportunity. That came with a start in the Capital One Cup success against QPR and he retained his place in the starting XI for the draw against Newcastle last weekend. Mariappa believes the squad assembled at Reading is a strong one and he will have to work hard to hold down his starting berth. "We have got a good squad here and all the lads are getting fit and raring to go," he said. "I think all over the pitch you have seen numerous people playing this season so the competition is very high for places and it keeps everyone on their toes and when you get that opportunity you just want to take it." Saturday's trip to the Liberty Stadium will see Reading meet Swansea for the first time since the Welsh side were 4-2 victors in the 2011 npower Championship play-off final. Since gaining promotion the Swans' style has been universally praised but Mariappa knows what to expect and feels Reading are fully capable of countering any threats. He said: "We have played against Swansea before in the Championship and their style hasn't changed since then, they have been a very good footballing side and a team that a lot of people admire. "We have played against passing teams before and we know how to set up and play against them and we will just be focusing on that."

Source: PA