MX23RW : Saturday, June 29 12:40:14| >> :600:268531:268531:
[monks data]
Birmingham logo
Championship | Gameweek 33
Feb 27, 2021 at 3pm UK
St. Andrew's Stadium
QPR logo

Birmingham
2 - 1
QPR

Pedersen (82'), Halilovic (85')
Pedersen (52'), Halilovic (86'), Roberts (90+6')
FT(HT: 0-1)
Austin (44')
Willock (13'), Bonne (73')

Preview: Birmingham City vs. Queens Park Rangers - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Saturday's Championship clash between Birmingham City and Queens Park Rangers, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Queens Park Rangers face Birmingham City at St Andrew's on Saturday afternoon having put together a five-match unbeaten streak in the Championship.

While the visitors now sit 11 points above the relegation zone, Blues are only two points above the bottom three after a sustained period of poor form under Aitor Karanka.


Match preview

Birmingham City manager Aitor Karanka pictured on January 10, 2021© Reuters

While speculation persists regarding his long-term future in the West Midlands, Karanka will not be judged on results against teams such as Norwich City.

Nevertheless, the 3-1 defeat against the league leaders has left Blues within one defeat of falling back into the relegation zone, heaping the pressure on the Spaniard.

Last weekend's success at Sheffield Wednesday could prove important in the grand scheme of things, but Karanka desperately needs to improve on a run of five points being collected from eight games.

The goals against the Owls and Canaries marked the first time that Birmingham have scored in successive matches since the turn of the year.

Although QPR have impressed of late, meetings with the Hoops and struggling Huddersfield Town give Blues every chance of maintaining their scoring run into March.

Preston North End's Ched Evans in action with Queens Park Rangers' Dominic Ball in the Championship on February 24, 2021© Reuters

There was a time in January when Mark Warburton would have feared a relegation battle after going nine second-tier fixtures without success.

However, QPR have responded with 19 points being collected from just eight matches, their only setback coming at home to Derby County.

The return of Charlie Austin has undoubtedly had its desired effect, but each member of a settled starting lineup deserves credit for the upturn in results.

Possessing two matches in hand on the teams in the playoffs, Warburton will not rule out the possibility of his side making up a nine-point deficit.

That said, it is still one match at a time for QPR, who must show that they are capable of performing with the added pressure which comes with an excellent set of results.

Birmingham City Championship form: DLLLWL

Queens Park Rangers Championship form: LWWWWD


Team News

Queens Park Rangers QPR manager Mark Warburton pictured in February 2021© Reuters

Despite only claiming a goalless draw at Deepdale, Warburton is expected to keep changes down to a minimum.

Macauley Bonne is in line to replace Lyndon Dykes in attack, with Sam Field also an option if the QPR manager wants fresher legs in midfield.

Karanka could hand a recall to Birmingham centre-back Marc Roberts, while Southampton loanee Yan Valery is also pushing for a starting role.

Playmaker Alen Halilovic may be brought back into the team, potentially as a replacement for midfielder Rekeem Harper.

Birmingham City possible starting lineup:
Etheridge; Valery, Dean, Roberts, Pedersen; Gardner, Sunjic; Sanchez, Halilovic, Bela; Hogan

Queens Park Rangers possible starting lineup:
Dieng; Dickie, Cameron, Barbet; Kane, Ball, Johansen, Wallace; Chair; Austin, Bonne


SM words green background

We say: Birmingham City 1-1 Queens Park Rangers

Sitting well clear of safety, QPR will play with a sense of freedom against opponents who possess little confidence in the final third. However, the extra edge may suit Birmingham, and we feel that the home side will do enough to claim a share of the spoils.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting an away win in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Away Win:data



ID:436659:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect7012:

Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Queens Park Rangers win with a probability of 47.03%. A draw had a probability of 26.9% and a win for Birmingham City had a probability of 26.05%.

The most likely scoreline for a Queens Park Rangers win was 0-1 with a probability of 12.96%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-2 (9.15%) and 1-2 (8.93%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (12.65%), while for a Birmingham City win it was 1-0 (8.97%). The actual scoreline of 2-1 was predicted with a 6.2% likelihood.


Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Game History

How you voted: Birmingham vs QPR

Birmingham City
19.1%
Draw
12.8%
Queens Park Rangers
68.1%
47
Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Brentford manager Thomas Frank pictured on February 10, 2021
Read Next:
Frank remains defiant despite defeat to QPR
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free daily transfer newsletter! Sent twice a day during the transfer window.
rhs 2.0
Euro 2024 fixtures header
Saturday, June 29
 
5pm
 
8pm
Sunday, June 30
 
5pm
 
8pm
Monday, July 1
 
5pm
 
8pm
Tuesday, July 2
 
5pm
 
8pm
Friday, July 5
Saturday, July 6
Tuesday, July 9
Wednesday, July 10
Sunday, July 14
Tables header RHS

Group A

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Germany Germany32107
Q Switzerland Switzerland31205
3 Hungary Hungary31023
4 Scotland flag Scotland30121

Group B

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Spain Spain33009
Q Italy Italy31114
3 Croatia Croatia30212
4 Albania national flag Albania30121

Group C

TeamPWDLPTS
Q England flag England31205
Q Denmark Denmark30303
Q Slovenia Slovenia30303
4 Serbia Serbia30212

Group D

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Austria Austria32016
Q France France31205
Q Netherlands Netherlands31114
4 Poland Poland30121

Group E

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Romania Romania31114
Q Belgium Belgium31114
Q Slovakia Slovakia31114
4 Ukraine Ukraine31114

Group F

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Portugal Portugal32016
Q Turkey Turkey32016
Q Georgia Georgia31114
4 Czech Republic Czech Republic30121


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!