Sunderland will be hoping to maintain their recent good form when they take on Reading in their next Premiership clash on Saturday.

The Black Cats have overcome a poor patch of form by collecting five points from their last five matches but manager Roy Keane will be aware the team's Premiership credentials will depend on how well the players perform in the crucial Christmas period.

With the club slated to play fellow strugglers Bolton Wanderers and Wigan Athletic, Keane knows that anything less that victories against the two clubs will leave Sunderland with an uphill task to avoid relegation come the end of the season.

Sunderland are currently sitting 17th in the Premier League table with just one point clear of the drop zone. With Reading currently in a poor form of their own, Keane will be looking to collect some much needed points ahead of fixtures against Manchester United and Blackburn Rovers.

Meanwhile Reading manager Steve Coppell will be looking for a quick return to form if his team is to avoid getting sucked into a relegation battle come the end of the season. Just five points from last six points has seen Reading slip down to 13th in the league table.

Reading were lucky to come away with a point against Birmingham City last weekend with Stephen Hunt's penalty in the second half canceling out Mikael Forssell's strike.

The last time both the teams met was the in Championship back in 2004-05 season with Reading emerging 1-0 victors in this fixture. Watch Reading vs Sunderland live on free-football.tv.