Aston Villa welcome Queens Park Rangers to Villa Park on Tuesday night in a match that could prove to be pivotal in the Premier League relegation battle this season.
Only three points separate the two teams with six matches remaining, and a win for either side would see them steal a march on their rivals in a game brought forward due to Villa's continued involvement in the FA Cup.
Aston Villa
© Getty Images
The Tim Sherwood revolution seems to have been stopped in its tracks at Villa Park in recent weeks, and the club find themselves hovering perilously close to the bottom three now.
Victory for Sunderland over Newcastle United on Sunday saw the Villans drop down to 17th place, and with the bottom three all picking up points over the weekend as well, it could end up being a costly Easter period for the club.
They still have a two-point gap between themselves and 18th-placed Burnley, but momentum can often be the most decisive factor in these circumstances and, after three straight wins at the start of March, that seems to have deserted Villa now.
Defeats to Swansea City and Manchester United either side of the international break may not have come as much of a surprise, but Villa will need to come up with unexpected points from somewhere if they are to survive this season.
Sherwood's return to White Hart Lane is next up after Tuesday, while his side must also face Manchester City, Everton, West Ham United and Southampton in a difficult run-in.
That makes picking up a positive result against the Hoops on Tuesday night all the more important, while their meeting with Burnley on the final day of the season is shaping up to be a huge one for both clubs.
It would be interesting to hear whether Villa fans would prefer to stay in the top flight or win the FA Cup this season, with a semi-final appearance at Wembley awaiting them against either Blackburn Rovers or Liverpool later this month.
Wigan Athletic were faced with a similar predicament two seasons ago and, looking at what has happened to the Latics since, some Villa fans may even see a last-four exit as a blessing in disguise ahead of a crucial period of league fixtures.
Their most winnable matches in that run all come at home, which makes it even more important for them to improve their record at Villa Park. They have lost four of their last five league outings in front of their own fans and have only won two of 13 since August.
No team in the top flight has picked up fewer points on their own turf this season, while their meagre tally of 11 home goals is also the lowest in the division.
Recent form: LLWWLL
Recent form (all competitions): LWWWLL
Queens Park Rangers
© Getty Images
QPR's own survival hopes were given a major boost at the weekend as they ended a five-match losing streak with only their second away victory of the season.
The three points could prove to be priceless for Chris Ramsey's side, but the manner of the victory will be every bit as encouraging. Attacking trio Eduardo Vargas, Charlie Austin and Bobby Zamora all got on the scoresheet - the latter spectacularly so - and they ended the match with four goals away to Tony Pulis's West Bromwich Albion side.
Not many teams manage that against a side managed by Pulis, and it is exactly the type of result that could prove to be the catalyst for the Hoops to launch a bid for safety.
Those around them also picked up positive results over the weekend, but QPR's fate is still in their own hands to an extent. They would climb out of the bottom three and put Villa into the relegation zone with a win on Tuesday, while a match against Leicester City could provide another huge game on a final day that sees all of the current bottom four facing each other.
Between those two relegation six-pointers, though, QPR must face the likes of Chelsea, West Ham, Liverpool and Manchester City, so victory on Tuesday is of even greater importance than it might appear at first glance.
A Sunderland-esque run from last season may be required for the Hoops to get through that period still in touch with safety, but first they must build on their victory over the Baggies. They have not won back-to-back games all season and still only have two victories overall under Ramsey's tenure.
If the R's are to garner that all-important momentum, that is a record that simply has to improve. If Ramsey can get his forward players firing as they did against West Brom then they stand a chance, with the best attacking record in the bottom eight proving that they can score goals.
However, they also have the worst defensive record in the division and, in a relegation battle that could go down to the wire, that may prove decisive should it come down to goal difference.
Despite their win at The Hawthorns, QPR still have the worst away record in the top four tiers of English football and, with visits to last season's top two and fellow strugglers Leicester still to come, that will be the major area of concern.
Recent form: LLLLLW
Team News
© Getty Images
Sherwood has described his side's injury problems at the moment as "unbelievable", with Alan Hutton (ankle) joining Scott Sinclair and Ashley Westwood (both hamstring) in the treatment room over the weekend.
All three are major doubts for Tuesday's match, while Sherwood is also not optimistic about the chances of Aly Cissokho and Kieran Richardson recovering in time.
The Villans were boosted by the returns of Ron Vlaar, Joe Cole and Nathan Baker to the squad against Manchester United, however, and all three will be pushing for starts against QPR.
Christian Benteke netted his fourth in as many league games at Old Trafford and will lead the line once again alongside Gabriel Agbonlahor for a depleted Villa.
As for QPR, Vargas is a doubt having been forced off with a knee injury after opening the scoring at The Hawthorns, joining long-term absentees Alejandro Faurlin, Richard Dunne and Leroy Fer with similar problems in the treatment room.
Zamora could struggle with two games in such quick succession, but his impact alongside 16-goal Austin up front is likely to coax Ramsey into taking a risk over his selection.
Aston Villa possible starting lineup:
Guzan; Baker, Vlaar, Clark, Lowton; N'Zogbia, Gil, Delph, Weimann; Benteke, Agbonlahor
QPR possible starting lineup:
Green; Isla, Onuoha, Caulker, Yoon; Phillips, Barton, Sandro, Kranjcar; Austin, Zamora
Head To Head
QPR picked up just their second victory of the season in the reverse fixture back in October, with Austin getting both goals in a 2-0 triumph at Loftus Road.
That was the Hoops' first league win over Villa since December 1995, while they haven't won at Villa Park in the league since a 1-0 victory in March 1992.
The last meeting between these two sides here saw Agbonlahor, Andreas Weimann and Benteke all get on the scoresheet in a 3-2 victory for Villa in March 2013.
We say: Aston Villa 1-1 QPR
This match pits the league's worst home record against the league's worst away record, and they could well cancel each other out. A draw would suit Villa more than it would QPR, and while victory for either side would be a huge boost to their survival hopes, it may end up being a case of must-not-lose rather than must-win for either manager.
No Data Analysis info
