Reading boss Ruben Selles is hoping to have star midfielder Harvey Knibbs back for this evening's meeting with Cambridge United after missing Sunday's FA Cup tie with a knee injury.

The 25-year-old has six goals in 16 appearances to date this season, including a brace at Peterborough United 10 days ago.

The Royals needed extra time to come from behind to knock eighth tier Harborough Town out of the FA Cup in round two.

This evening, Garry Monk's U's visit the SCL Stadium on the back of three straight draws.

Sat in the relegation zone of League One, only one team have left Berkshire with all three points in an almost faultless home campaign to date.

Despite missing Sunday, Selles is hoping to have Knibbs back to face his former team.

The former Aston Villa youngster scored 26 times for Cambridge in over 150 appearances.

"He had a knock in his knee in the last action on Tuesday and we have been keeping him out of training in the last two or three days. We need to assess but hopefully he will be ready for Tuesday."

17-year-old Andre Garcia played the entire 120 minutes against the Bees but spent the last 15 minutes as a striker and limping as the Royals had used up all permitted substitutes.

Looking in some discomfort, Selles is still expecting the teenager to be available for selection against Cambridge.

"At 17, because his birthday was yesterday [Saturday] going through his first professional extra time, I think he needed to play three positions today because when he started limping, we decided to keep him as a striker to put Chem [Campbell] as an eight and keep us stronger in the middle. It is part of the learning.

"We need to work with it and if it was not today then it would be another day. We have been working with them on how to take care of themselves, so it is a challenge for him now, how to recover and be ready for the next game."

In a difficult run of games, Reading travel to league leaders Wycombe Wanderers on Saturday, backed by a sold-out away end of nearly 2,000 supporters.