ANDRIES Ulderink expects Cardiff City to ask major questions of Reading FC in tonight’s clash at Madejski Stadium (8pm ko, live Sky Sports).

Royals will be looking for a third straight Championship victory when they host Neil Warnock’s promotion-chasing Bluebirds.

And assistant manager Ulderink admits the South Wales club will offer a different kind of threat to what they are used to.

“I’ve seen a few games and Cardiff are a really strong team,” said Ulderink. “They work hard defensively and are a physical side.

“They are really good from set pieces and it’s going to be a big challenge.

“They play a bit differently to other teams we’ve faced so far, but we’re looking forward to it.

“We’re a bit further along the road since the start of the season as a team. It will be good to see if we’re up to that physical side of things in terms of how they defend.

“You always look at the opposition and where you can beat them and fight them the best. You look at their threats and we talk about certain players. We have to be prepared.”

Royals, now unbeaten in four, go into tonight’s clash on the back of successive wins against Barnsley and Sunderland.

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Cardiff City boss Neil Warnock. Picture: Simon Galloway/PA Wire.

A victory for Jaap Stam’s men over the second-placed Bluebirds would see Reading climb as high as 12th in the Championship table.

But Ulderink feels his players will have to put on an even better performance than they did against Sunderland, who were reduced to 10 men late in the first half before Royals scored three times after the break.

“When the Sunderland player received a second yellow card we had actually lost the ball,” stated Ulderink. “We can’t do that too much against Cardiff because they will beat us.

“They have the quality players to kill us on the counter attack.

“We dominated Sunderland for the first 25 minutes of the second half when we scored the three goals.

“They were really good goals, but to beat Cardiff we will have to do more than that.”

Stam has no fresh injury concerns and could pick the same starting XI for the fourth game running.

Cardiff, seeking a fifth victory in a row, are missing striker Kenneth Zohore with an ankle injury, while Aron Gunnarsson and Nathaniel Mendez-Laing face late fitness tests.

Warnock’s men are yet to drop a single point in the Championship this season after taking the lead, winning all 13 matches.

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