Birmingham vs QPR prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2023-09-21 19:00.
In spite of losing 2-1 to table-toppers Preston on Tuesday evening, Birmingham City manager John Eustace was in a positive mood post-match, saying he was “so proud of the effort”, and pointed to the opposition having only three shots on target as evidence of his side’s solid defending. However, he will be looking for more of a threat going forward in this game as the Blues have scored just three goals in their last four matches (W1, D1, L2).
That troubling run of form has seen Birmingham slip from third place after four games to seventh at the end of Tuesday’s matches, and after successive away defeats, they will be pleased to be back in front of their home fans at St Andrews where they are yet to be beaten in the Championship this season (W2, D1).
Queens Park Rangers on the other hand only picked up their first home point of the season on Tuesday, after a 92nd-minute equaliser from Lyndon Dykes earned the R’s a draw against lowly Swansea. Both of their victories so far this campaign have come on the road at Cardiff and Middlesbrough, so QPR will be confident as they travel to the midlands looking to right the wrongs of last season when they failed to score and lost both games against Birmingham.
After their injury time strike against the Swans, manager Gareth Ainsworth pointed to the work they’ve done around “fitness and conditioning starting to pay off”. He’ll be hoping to continue reaping the rewards against Birmingham, an opponent who have conceded six of their seven league goals in the second half of matches this season, including two post-90 minute goals against Watford last Saturday. Interestingly though, this will be the first time that Ainsworth has brought a team to St Andrews even though his managerial career spans over 580 games!
Players to watch: Jay Stansfield has found the net three times already in the Championship this season, with all three goals arriving after half-time. QPR’s Ilias Chair is targeting an assist for the third successive game after creating goals against Swansea and Sunderland.
Hot stat: There have been no more than three overall match goals across Birmingham’s last 12 Championship home games.