The Rs are third in the table and unbeaten at this early stage, while the Tykes are still finding their feet under new manager Markus Schopp and sit 13th.

Match preview

Queens Park Rangers' Moses Odubajo celebrates with teammates pictured on July 24, 2021 © Reuters

QPR came out on top of a five-goal thriller on Wednesday night as they defeated Middlesbrough 3-2 despite having Moses Odubajo sent off early in the first half.

It took Mark Warburton's side on to seven points from three games, following their opening day draw against Millwall and 3-0 victory over Hull City.

Only promoted pair Watford and Norwich City picked up more points in the second half of last season than QPR, and they have carried that form into the new campaign.

Propelled by goalscoring centre-back Rob Dickie and former Arsenal academy star Chris Willock, the Hoops were tipped to be potential dark horses in the second tier this season, and they are certainly living up to that tag so far.

Saturday is the first of three successive home games for the West London outfit, as they face Oxford United in the EFL Cup on Tuesday before welcoming Coventry City next weekend.

Barnsley's Cauley Woodrow celebrates scoring their first goal with Callum Brittain in May 2021 © Reuters

Barnsley were last season's Championship dark horses, but following the departures of Alex Mowatt, Daryl Dike and manager Valerien Ismael in the summer, new boss Schopp has a rebuilding job on his hands.

It has been a steady start for the Austrian, with one win, one draw and one loss from the opening three league matches, as well as a penalty shootout defeat to Bolton Wanderers in the League Cup.

The Tykes had 70% of possession against Luton Town on Tuesday night, but were ultimately beaten by Amari'i Bell's fourth-minute goal.

Schopp stated that his side must become more clinical in the final third after failing to score from 10 shots throughout the game, and it is hoped that summer signing Devante Cole, who made his debut off the bench on Tuesday, will help in that department.

Barnsley have won the last four meetings between the two sides, achieving a 6-1 aggregate victory over the two fixtures last season.

Queens Park Rangers Championship form:

Queens Park Rangers form (all competitions):

Barnsley Championship form:

Barnsley form (all competitions):

Team News

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

QPR will be without Moses Odubajo following his red card against Middlesbrough, with Osman Kakay the most likely man to replace him at right wing-back.

There was a return to action off the bench for Charlie Austin in midweek after a knee injury, so the striker will hope to be in contention for a starting spot on Saturday.

Sam McCallum could be included in a matchday squad for the first time since signing in the summer after recovering from illness.

Markus Schopp has confirmed that Carlton Morris will be out for six to eight weeks after injuring his knee in last weekend's game against Coventry City.

The striker will be a big miss for the Tykes who have netted just twice in four games this season; last year's top scorer Cauley Woodrow is yet to get off the mark in the new campaign.

It has also been revealed that summer signings Obbi Oulare and Aaron Leya Iseka have been unable to make their debuts yet because of work permit issues.

Queens Park Rangers possible starting lineup:
Dieng; Dickie, de Wijs, Barbet; Kakay, Ball, Johansen, Wallace; Chair; Dykes, Willock

Barnsley possible starting lineup:
Collins; Sibbick, Helik, Kitching; Brittain, Palmer, Benson, Styles; Cole, Woodrow, Frieser

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We say: Queens Park Rangers 2-1 Barnsley

There is a real feel-good factor at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium at the moment and we expect that to help QPR continue their impressive start to the season.

Barnsley have shown they can play attacking football under Markus Schopp so we think they will score, but it will not be enough.

Top tip

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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 36.5%. A win for Barnsley had a probability of 36.21% and a draw had a probability of 27.3%.

The most likely scoreline for a Queens Park Rangers win was 1-0 with a probability of 10.56%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (7.96%) and 2-0 (6.5%). The likeliest Barnsley win was 0-1 (10.5%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.93%). The actual scoreline of 2-2 was predicted with a 4.9% likelihood.