Stoke City boss Alex Neil says that he cannot understand why Reading have been "written off" by some people with what they can achieve this season.
Reading currently sit sixth in the Championship table after a positive start to the season, with Royals winning four of their first seven games of the campaign in the second tier. Paul Ince's side even topped the table going into their clash with Sheffield United on Tuesday night, but dropped to sixth after a heavy 4-0 defeat at Bramall Lane.
But ahead of their next Championship fixture against Stoke City on Sunday, Potters boss Neil has offered his verdict on Ince's side and said that he feels they are capable of exceeding the expectations some people have of Reading this term.
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Speaking at his pre-match press conference, Neil said: "I think if you look at Reading so far, their home performances have certainly been a lot stronger than their away performances, so that will make it a difficult game to start with.
"Looking at the teams they have beaten, they have been really good scalps for them this season, but if you look at their players, they have got a lot of Championship quality players, so I don't understand why some people have sort of written them off in terms of what they are capable of doing this year. If you look across that team, they have got good players.
"But what I do think is the first goal is going to be vitally important in the game and I think if we can go and put our stamp on it then we have got a better chance of winning the match."
Stoke sit 16th in the table after a disappointing run of results at the beginning of the campaign, with this being Neil's second game in charge of the Potters since replacing Michael O'Neill, who was sacked last month after a difficult start to the season.
But Neil insists that his side's mentality will not change when they face Reading, regardless of the respective positions of the two sides in the league as things stand.
Neil added: "We'll go and try and win every game - it doesn't matter whether it's Reading towards the top end of the league or someone near the bottom end of the league.
"Our appetite for each game will be how do we win? Then it will be this is what we need to try to be successful so let's try and go and do it the best we can."
"I don't think you get an easy game in the Championship. I think so far this season every team that was written off at the start of the season have started really well, so the Championship is probably the most unpredictable league that you'll get," he added.
"I think if you can a bit of consistency, a bit of momentum, keep the majority of your players fit and get them organised and keep them fit, you can really have a good season. I don't write off any team in the division and we go into every game with the utmost respect for the opposition, but believing that we can win."
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