Brian McDermott believes Huddersfield Town’s footballing philosophy will make Saturday’s FA Cup clash a tough test for his Reading side.
The new manager, who took over following the sacking of Steve Clarke in early December, brings his side to the John Smith’s Stadium in a repeat of last season’s third round tie.
Town travelled to the Madejski Stadium earlier this season in the league and took the lead twice only to draw 2-2 in what turned out to be Chris Powell’s last match in charge.
And McDermott believes the new style implemented under his successor David Wagner will be a challenging proposition for the Royals.
“It’s going to be a tough game – Huddersfield are a tough side,” declared McDermott. “They’ve got a new manager there who is making his imprint on the team, so it’s going to be an interesting game.
“They are a good side and knock the ball around – they have got guys who can score and a philosophy of how they play.”
Reading have won two and lost two since McDermott returned to the helm in December and will be without top scorer Nick Blackman , who was sold to Derby County on Wednesday.
However, the 54-year-old - who spent time on loan at Town in 1986 - believes he has fully prepared his team for the clash and knows what they will be up against.
He added: “We know what we’re coming up against; we’ve done our homework and we’re looking forward to it.
“I’ve watched Huddersfield play twice. I saw them play at Brentford when they got beat, and I saw their last game. We’ve done our work and we know what they’re about.”
