Sheffield United and Queens Park Rangers will square off at Bramall Lane on Tuesday evening with both clubs desperately requiring all three points in the Championship promotion race.
After defeats on Saturday, the Blades and Hoops have dropped outside of the top six, albeit with a game in hand on sixth-placed Blackburn Rovers.
Match preview
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Ever since Paul Heckingbottom returned to Sheffield United in November, they have looked like a team who have the quality to not only sustain a playoff bid, but also earn a return to the Premier League.
However, a return of just two wins from seven matches has changed that perception, the Blades having dropped down to eighth spot courtesy of their late 1-0 defeat at Stoke City.
To Heckingbottom's credit, he is yet to suffer back-to-back losses in the Championship this season, but a lack of consistency has increased the importance of bouncing back on Tuesday.
On the plus side for Sheffield United, they now face three home fixtures in succession, with games against Bournemouth and Reading to follow the showdown with QPR.
The Yorkshire outfit have not lost in front of their own supporters since October 30, a period spanning 10 matches, and this fixture represents the first match between the two clubs this campaign.
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If reports are to be believed, QPR are on the brink of sacking Mark Warburton, a consequence of the London side losing seven of their last 10 games in the Championship.
At one stage, QPR were challenging for the automatic promotion places, but a further setback on Tuesday would leave the club as clear outsiders to secure another year in the top flight.
While it would feel harsh if a 2-0 defeat at home to leaders Fulham led to a change in the dugout, the 3-1 reverse to struggling Peterborough United before the international break left the powers-that-be at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium with plenty to ponder.
Five of QPR's seven remaining games will be played away from home, although that should not necessarily be regarded as a negative with eight wins coming from 18 matches on their travels this season.
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Team News
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After drawing a blank against Stoke, Sheffield United boss may choose to recall Iliman Ndiaye for this contest.
John Fleck could be the player to miss out in midfield, while the versatile Ben Osborn is also on standby to deputise at left wing-back or in a role further forward.
Billy Sharp could return to the starting lineup after injury, which would mean Daniel Jebbison dropping down to the substitutes' bench.
Andre Gray may come back into the QPR side as a replacement for Lyndon Dykes, although Charlie Austin is also pushing for a recall.
Ilias Chair can expect to feature in a creative role, while Jeff Hendrick could be restored in midfield, allowing Stefan Johansen to play in an advanced position.
Sheffield United possible starting lineup:
Foderingham; Davies, Egan Robinson; Baldock, Berge, Norwood, Norrington-Davies; Gibbs-White, Ndiaye; Sharp
Queens Park Rangers possible starting lineup:
Westwood; Sanderson, Dickie, Barbet; Odubajo, Field, Hendrick, Wallace; Johansen, Chair; Gray
We say: Sheffield United 1-0 Queens Park Rangers
With everything point to this being a tense affair, do not expect many goals at Bramall Lane. There is scope for a goalless draw to play out, but we feel that home advantage could prove key for a Sheffield United side who appear to have more chance of lasting the pace in the race for the top six.
Top tip
Darren Plant
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 Sheffield United win with a probability of 57.99%. A draw had a probability of 23.7% and a win for Queens Park Rangers had a probability of 18.31%.
The most likely scoreline for a Sheffield United win was 1-0 with a probability of 13.21%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (11.34%) and 2-1 (9.61%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (11.2%), while for a Queens Park Rangers win it was 0-1 (6.53%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with a 13.2% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole and our data analysis both correctly predicted a 1-0 win for Sheffield United in this match.
