The Royals travel to the Reebok Stadium on Saturday to take on the only team in the Premier League yet to pick up a point.

New boss Sammy Lee has seen Wanderers lose to Newcastle, Fulham and Portsmouth while Coppell's Reading side already has four points on the board from much tougher assignments with Manchester United, Chelsea and Everton.

But Coppell admitted he feared the Bolton players' desperation to prove they are not relegation contenders would make them a formidable barrier.

He said: "With the first three fixtures we have had you can put any sort of spin on it but come three o'clock on Saturday it won't matter what has gone before. They will be desperate for three points and we want them too so I don't think it makes any difference.

"They have a massive incentive to prove a few knockers wrong and that can act as motivation sometimes."

Lee has found the step-up from being Sam Allardyce's right-hand man to his successor a difficult one, especially as forwards Nicolas Anelka and El-Hadji Diouf are the subject of intense speculation over imminent moves elsewhere.

Coppell predicted the former Liverpool and England midfielder would get the club back on course - if given sufficient time to do so by the board.

He said: "I've got enough problems of my own to start dispensing advice to anyone else but with change you are unlikely to be automatically successful straight away. Sammy is a terrific football man and will get it right."

Coppell has selection headaches of his own as a number of players are either out through injury or suspension. Dave Kitson is banned, Glen Little and Ibrahima Sonko are both injured and four players - Graeme Murty, Michael Duberry, John Oster and Seol Ki-Hyeon - are facing races against time to get fit.

That could leave Coppell without a recognised right winger. He said: "It's a concern. It's probably the position where I thought I had more cover than most."

Ten of his squad have also been away on international duty, with defender Andre Bikey not yet back from Cameroon's friendly defeat in Japan.

Coppell moaned: "It's the price you pay for having internationals. We are not going to complain about it as most of the clubs are in the same situation but it's not ideal. You can't prepare. You just see who is fit and pick a team."

Kalifa Cisse is back from a ban however and striker Leroy Lita is fit again after suffering a bizarre hip injury in bed a week before the season began.

The Under-21 international will have to make do with a place on the bench however as Coppell keeps faith with Irish duo Kevin Doyle and Shane Long despite the fact that neither have found the net this term for their club, although the latter netted two fine goals for the Republic in Wednesday night's 4-0 romp in Denmark.

Coppell said of Lita: "I know I could start him but it is more prudent not to."