Birmingham City and QPR square off in a Friday night Championship fixture with both teams looking to find some form. Birmingham have done some of their best work at home and should have the upper hand over an out of sorts QPR.
The home team have made a solid enough start to the season and began with a run of three wins and two draws from their opening five matches. However, they appear to have lost their way in recent weeks and are coming off two straight defeats.
The Blues were beaten 2-1 by leaders Preston North End in their previous Championship fixture. They took the lead just after the breakthrough Jay Stansfield but ultimately succumbed to the superior quality of the hosts.
One positive thing for Birmingham City is that they have been on the road in the last two matches and are returning to St Andrew’s Stadium which is yet to taste defeat in the Championship. John Eustace’s men have won two of their three home matches in the Championship, although they have conceded in the last two.
While Birmingham City have been merely erratic so far, it has been a disappointing start to the season for QPR. They have claimed just two wins in seven Championship matches and are currently 19th on the standings.
QPR travel to St Andrew’s Stadium off the back of a 1-1 draw with Swansea City in their previous Championship fixture. They fell behind early in the encounter and had to wait until deep into injury time before Lyndon Dykes struck the equaliser.
Although QPR have found things difficult this season, they have surprisingly fared better on their travels. Gareth Ainsworth’s men have won two of their last three away matches and picked up a 2-0 victory at Middlesbrough in their previous fixture on the road.
How the bookies view it
Birmingham City have the upper hand among the bookies with a home win priced at 19/20 by Coral. A victory for QPR is valued at 3/1 by Paddy Power while Unibet is offering odds of 13/5 for a draw.
Head to head
Birmingham City have a 20-14 advantage with 14 draws from 48 previous matches against QPR. The Blues did the double last season, picking up a 2-0 victory at St Andrew’s Stadium before earning a 1-0 win in the reverse fixture back in March.
Players to watch
Jay Stansfield had been the man in form for Birmingham City in recent weeks with three goals in the last four Championship matches. The forward could be worth keeping an eye on to score anytime at 5/2 with bet365.
Lyndon Dykes got off the mark for the season last time out and will be looking to go on a scoring run. The striker is priced at 4/1 by William Hill to get on the score sheet on Friday.
Anything else catch the eye?
Birmingham City and QPR are not particularly solid at the back and both teams could be backed to score at 21/20 with Unibet. The Blues’ previous fixture produced over 2.5 goals, which is priced at 6/5 with Unibet, who are also offering odds of 33/10 for over 3.5 goals.
The hosts have more quality in attack and could be backed to score in both halves at 9/4 with BoyleSports.
This England Championship match between Birmingham City and QPR will be played on Sep 22, 2023 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Birmingham City vs QPR prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
