Albion defender Gabriel Tamas has braced his team-mates for a revenge mission as they gear up for their grudge match at Reading.

The Baggies and the Royals go head to head for the fourth time this season, with Tamas and Co looking to climb to the top of the Championship.

Tamas admitted Albion are anxious to avenge their fiery FA Cup exit at the hands of Reading last month.

He said: “It’s a very tough game but we must think positive. They won against us in the FA Cup so this will be a great rematch.

“I think the players all want revenge, because we went out of the FA Cup to them, so a win would be good revenge.”

The Baggies are braced for an afternoon of high tension after tempers boiled over in the FA Cup tie, which the Royals eventually won after 210 closely-fought minutes.

In the original game at the Madejski Stadium, Reading striker Shane Long was sent off for a dangerous lunge on Albion’s Abdoulaye Meite, Baggies midfielder Youssouf Mulumbu was dismissed for two bookable offences and Hawthorns boss Roberto Di Matteo lost Gonzalo Jara for the rest of the season to a crunching tackle.

Then, in the replay at The Hawthorns, Albion threw away a 2-1 lead with a last-minute mistake from Gianni Zuiverloon and the Royals triumphed in extra-time.

At the final whistle, Reading’s Jobi McAnuff was sent off for his clash with Mulumbu and the Royals players became embroiled in an angry fracas with Baggies stewards.

The incidents have provided a backdrop of acrimony to a game that already whets the appetite thanks to the form of both teams.

Albion have won five straight League games for the first time since 2004 while the Royals have won five and drawn one of their last six Championship matches to climb away from relegation danger.

Tamas said: “This is the Championship and all the games are hard and all the games are big because there are strong players here. We want to focus on winning as many points as possible before the end of the season.”

The Romania international insists Albion are not focusing on leaders Newcastle or third-placed Nottingham Forest, despite knowing victory could take them above the Magpies to the top of the table and 11 points clear of Forest.

He said: “We don’t want to watch behind us and watch the other teams. We need to watch ourselves and win as many points as possible to get to the Premier League.

“We don’t want to watch the other teams. That is the right way to be. We just look at us. We want to win as many points as possible to the end of the season.

“That’s our aim. We are not confident yet, because we haven’t finished first or second and we’re not in the Premier League. We have seven games more and we need to focus because we have nothing yet.

“When we are on top of the line and we have finished the Championship then we will celebrate and feel very good. Now it’s OK.

“We enjoy winning but we have seven games left to play and we must focus.”

Steven Reid is hoping to build on his first Albion goal against Coventry on Wednesday with another solid display at the Madejski Stadium.

The on-loan Blackburn manstill harbours hopes of overhauling Newcastle to win the Championship, after lifting the Division Two title with Millwall in 2001.

Reid is gearing up for his own match at Reading, but is planning to watch Newcastle’s clash with Forest at St James’ Park.

He said: “I’d be lying if I wasn’t interested in what happened in that game. If we can get a result tomorrow it can put pressure on other teams around us.

“We will be looking up the table and looking to win promotion as champions.”