Mowbray believes Rovers will be facing ‘a wounded animal’ in Reading at Ewood Park tonight.

The Royals have lost each of their opening three games and are one of just two Championship teams yet to have a point on the board.

However, Mowbray says every team in the division will go through a similar run, with Paul Clement’s side having lost by one goal in their three league fixtures to date.

Rovers recorded their first win of the season last Saturday at Hull City. But the Ewood chief has warned his side not to take anything for granted.

“Reading are like a wounded animal at the moment and they’ll be desperate for a win,” the boss said.

“(We face) a very highly motivated team who haven’t had the start they would have wanted but will come fully focused, fully concentrated and motivated and we have to match that.

“If our team has got one thing that’s an energy and a drive to go and compete and that’s what I’ll be looking for on Wednesday.

“It’s a game we’ll look forward to, be positive, play on the front foot, and understand the three points are massive for each side.”

Rovers never went three games without a win last season, but after promotion to the Championship, Mowbray knows his side will face a sticky patch along the way.

They know all about slow starts, having lost their opening two matches of last season, and went seven games without a win at the start of their last Championship campaign in 2016/17.

And the boss has backed Clement to turn things around at the Madejski Stadium, warning his players not to take the Royals lightly.

“At some stage this season we will go through that,” he added.

“The phone-ins in and everything will be looking at what’s gone wrong, ‘why is he picking him, why do you mark zonally?’ Everyone has the answers.

“Paul is an experienced manager, he’s been around some of the biggest clubs in the world and he’ll be using his experience and calling on that to keep his players calm knowing they have some very good players.

“I’ve been watching some of their footage and they have been unlucky. They have been good with the ball at times, it’s a game we’ll have to be good out of possession and be very good on transition

“Let’s look forward to it but if we’re thinking in any way that it’ll be an easier game than any of the others we’ve had then we could find ourselves in trouble.”

Reading will have new signing Josh Sims available to face Rovers after the winger signed on a season-long loan deal from Southampton on Monday.