Reading captain Paul McShane knows Burton Albion will be fighting for everything when they meet tomorrow (3pm).
The Brewers will arrive at the Madejski Stadium sat 22nd in the Championship table, a point adrift of safety following last weekend’s 1-0 victory at relegation rivals Bolton Wanderers.
Having been in the bottom three since the 3-1 loss to Sheffield United on November 17, Nigel Clough's side will be aiming to jump to safety with a positive result against the Royals.
And McShane believes that could make Albion a tougher proposition as the hosts look for a third win in five games.
"Teams down the bottom are fighting for their lives," he said.
"I know it's midway through the season, but it's never nice to be down the bottom end of the table.
"It's going to be another tough game, Burton have been tough over the last year or so.
"It's always going to be tough - all the games are tough, no matter where the teams are in the league.
"We're just looking to win the game like we always do at the Madejski, we need the points really.
"We're 14th at the minute and the Christmas period could make or break our season.
"We also want to stay away from the bottom quarter of the table as much as we can, and try to get up the league as quick as we can."
Saturday's game will be Reading's 500th at the Madejski, with the club selling tickets for only £5 to home and away supporters.
A large crowd is expected - and the Royals skipper hopes a memorable atmosphere can prove the difference against the Brewers, whom they beat 3-0 on home soil last November.
"It's a special feeling every time I lead the team out, but hopefully there's a great atmosphere there on Saturday being the 500th game," added McShane.
"It's something special for the fans, so hopefully they make some noise and I'm looking forward to it.
"The more people there, the better.
"I hear there's going to be more fans there on Saturday, so hopefully we can give them something to shout about and hopefully we get the right result."
