Reading defender Michael Duberry is confident he can help his side's battle against relegation by keeping Dimitar Berbatov quiet on Saturday.The Royals will kick off at home to Spurs in their penultimate Premier League fixture of the season just a point ahead of third-bottom Birmingham, who travel to second-bottom Fulham.

Their reverse fixture at White Hart Lane ended 6-4 to the home side with Bulgarian striker Berbatov scoring four as Reading somehow managed to take the lead three times and still lose.

Duberry did not play in that December 29 defeat but was picked for the FA Cup third round tie on the same ground that followed just a week later and ended 2-2.

Again Berbatov was on the scoresheet with both goals but Duberry, who has only just returned to the starting line-up following a knee injury, was confident he could do better this time.

He said: "If I am 100%, I can deal with that threat. In the FA Cup game he got a penalty and a shot that took a deflection but other than that he didn't threaten us.

"When you see Berbatov dropping deeper and deeper then you know you are doing your job. The further away he is from our goal the better."

And while Berbatov will arrive at the Madejski Stadium looking for his 24th goal of the season, Reading will kick off just hoping someone can find the net somehow.

Not a single goal has been scored in the last five matches with Kevin Doyle not on target since December, Dave Kitson and Shane Long since early March and Leroy Lita not at all this season save for a Carling Cup strike in August and three Championship goals while on loan at Charlton.

Duberry was confident at least one of the quartet would put that right on Saturday, however.

He said: "They will all be itching to score and they are all goal threats. If we do a job I'm sure we can get a result. They are all self-motivated, want to score and have been banging them in in training.

"If they keep doing that they are bound to reap the rewards on Saturday. They don't shirk responsibility and it's not for want of trying or the effort."

Manager Steve Coppell will make a late decision on Doyle as the Republic of Ireland was back in his homeland for a family funeral on Friday, with the death of cousin Lorraine Flood, her husband and two children having shocked the tiny community of Clonroche, County Wexford.

Coppell said: "He will play a role. That's not 100% guaranteed but he is a grown man and a professional so if he thinks his mentality will affect the team in a poor way I'm sure he will tell me.

"But in my mind at the moment he will be part of the squad."

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