Liverpool welcome Queens Park Rangers to Anfield this Saturday looking to bounce back from a disappointing set of results that have left their season in tatters.
The visitors still have plenty to fight for at the other end of the table, however, with time running out for them to secure their Premier League status.
Liverpool
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A little over a month ago, Liverpool's season looked to be on the brink of salvation following a 13-match unbeaten run that had catapulted them back into the Champions League equation.
Consecutive defeats at the hands of fellow top-four rivals Manchester United and Arsenal saw that streak come to a damaging end, however, and things have gone from bad to worse for the Reds throughout April.
Liverpool's Merseyside rivals Everton appeared to have done their neighbours a favour by beating United 3-0 last weekend, but Brendan Rodgers's side failed to capitalise on that slim lifeline and saw their faint hopes of the top four all but ended with a limp 1-0 defeat at the hands of Hull City on Tuesday night.
That performance followed a similarly uninspiring goalless draw with West Bromwich Albion at the weekend, leaving the Reds now three games without a win including their FA Cup semi-final defeat to Aston Villa.
The cup was their last chance to turn a topsy-turvy season into a success but, with Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton hot on their heels in the Europa League places, Liverpool can't afford to let their campaign peter out.
Vice-captain Jordan Henderson has called for a response from his side, and with Rodgers eyeing additions in the summer, it may be the case that a clutch of players could have their Liverpool futures on the line in the remaining four games. The same could even apply for Rodgers himself as Jurgen Klopp's shadow looms large over a number of Europe's top clubs.
This weekend's match is certainly the easiest on paper of that run, with Chelsea away, Crystal Palace at home and Stoke City away to come after that, but they will need an improvement from their recent run of four points from the last 15 available if they are to ward off the challenge of those below them.
Finding the net has been their major issue this season, with consecutive blanks leaving them with just 47 league goals to their name - just over half as many as they had at the same stage of last season. They haven't failed to score in three league games on the bounce since March 2005.
Things are a little better at the other end of the pitch, with only Chelsea having kept more clean sheets than the Reds this season, while at Anfield they have been beaten just once since early November in the league - a run that stretches back 11 matches.
Recent form: WLLWDL
Recent form (all competitions): LWWLDL
Queens Park Rangers
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Just four games remain for QPR to save themselves now, and their position has been made all the more precarious by the form of those around them in the table.
Chris Ramsey would have been hoping for a favour from Saturday's opponents against Hull on Tuesday, but a second consecutive win for the Tigers lifted them four points clear of the drop zone and seven away from QPR.
Leicester City weren't as successful in midweek, but their remarkable recent run of four wins on the bounce has lifted them out of the bottom three and left the Hoops now four points adrift of safety.
Depending on events elsewhere, QPR could only need two results to go their way in their final four games, and a quick look at their fixture schedule will tell you where they are most likely to get them.
Their final two matches of the campaign come against fellow strugglers Newcastle United and Leicester, so anything that they can pick up from back-to-back away trips to Liverpool and Manchester City will be a bonus.
Ramsey's side have not been an easy team to beat of late, though. The only team to manage it in April was champions-elect Chelsea, and even they had to wait until the 88th minute before finally making the breakthrough at Loftus Road.
Even so, they have only won one of their last nine and two of their last 17 league games - a record they simply must improve if they are to avoid the drop. They had the chance to do that on Saturday when they hosted West Ham United, but Charlie Austin's missed penalty in that match could prove to be pivotal as they went on to play out a goalless draw.
It is hard to attach blame to a player who has scored 17 league goals for the club this season, however, helping QPR to become the highest scorers in the bottom eight of the division.
In contrast to Liverpool, it is at the other end of the field where the R's have had most trouble this season, conceding a league-high 59 goals on their way to 21 defeats - also the highest tally in the division.
With three of their remaining four matches coming on the road, a glimmer of hope may come from their improved away form. They still have the worst record in the division on their travels, but they have amassed all seven of their away points in their last five games having lost every single one of the opening 11.
Recent form: LLWDLD
Team News
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Steven Gerrard missed out entirely against Hull on Tuesday, but the Liverpool skipper could return to the side this weekend as he enters the final stretch of his career in English football.
Daniel Sturridge and Mamadou Sakho are again expected to miss out through injury, while Jon Flanagan's return has been delayed by another six to nine months after he underwent another operation on his knee.
Mario Balotelli, who has just one goal to his name in 940 minutes of Premier League action this season, limped off with an ankle injury against the Tigers and, even if he were to recover in time, Rodgers may prefer to start with Rickie Lambert or Raheem Sterling up front.
Lucas Leiva is pushing for a return from a thigh injury, however, while Alberto Moreno may also be involved having missed the last two games with a knock.
QPR, meanwhile, have a number of fitness concerns, with Alejandro Faurlin (knee), Eduardo Vargas (knee) and Rio Ferdinand (muscular) all sidelined.
Leroy Fer was handed 23 minutes off the bench against the Hammers, however, and could be in line to make his first start since February should Ramsey deem him fit enough to play the full 90.
Mauro Zarate, Armand Traore and Darnell Furlong are all doubts for the visitors, while Bobby Zamora will also undergo a late fitness test.
Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Mignolet; Can, Lovren, Skrtel, Moreno; Henderson, Gerrard, Allen; Lallana, Sterling, Coutinho
QPR possible starting lineup:
Green; Isla, Dunne, Caulker, Yun; Phillips, Sandro, Barton, Henry; Zamora, Austin
Head To Head
Liverpool have been dominant against QPR at Anfield over the years, winning 19 and losing just one of their 22 home league meetings against the Hoops.
However, they were given a stringent examination at Loftus Road back in November in a frantic match that saw four goals in the 87th minute or later as Liverpool edged to a 3-2 triumph.
QPR have not beaten Liverpool at Anfield since March 1991, when they ran out shock 3-1 winners over the reigning league champions.
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We say: Liverpool 2-1 QPR
QPR have not been an easy team to beat of late, but Liverpool's recent home record is a formidable one. Don't expect a thriller like the reverse fixture, with Liverpool low on confidence and QPR weighed down by the pressure of a relegation battle, but the hosts should have enough about them to pick up the win.
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