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Birmingham City invite QPR to St Andrew's in their first EFL Championship fixture of 2022 on Sunday.
The hosts have not played a game in over two weeks, as their games had to be postponed due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases among its staff and players.
In their last outing, they suffered a 4-0 hammering at the hands of third-placed Blackburn Rovers.
QPR returned to winning ways with a hard-fought win over Bristol City on Thursday and will travel to Birmingham as the seventh-placed side in the standings with 38 points.
Birmingham City vs QPR Head-to-Head
There have been 64 meetings across all competitions between the two sides, with the first competitive encounter dating back to 1914. They have been closely matched in this fixture, with Birmingham City having a slight advantage with 24 wins against the 23 for QPR.
The spoils have been shared 17 times in this fixture. They have been evenly matched in their last meetings, with two wins for each side and three games ending in draws.
They last squared off in a Championship fixture at Loftus Road in September. QPR recorded a 2-0 win in the reverse fixture.
Birmingham City form guide (EFL Championship): L-D-L-W-D
QPR form guide (EFL Championship): W-L-L-W-W
Birmingham City vs QPR Team News
Birmingham City
Adan George remains a long-term absentee as he continues to recover from a ruptured cruciate ligament. It remains to be seen whether players who tested positive for COVID-19 over the last two weeks, are eligible for the game.
Tahith Chong has also been sidelined with a thigh injury.
Injured: Adan George, Tahith Chong
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
QPR
Jordy de Wijs is a key absentee for the Rs with a calf injury. Here are the rest of the absentees for the visitors:
- Sam McCallum - Hamstring injury
- Moses Odubajo - Knock
- Ilias Chair - Knock
Injured: Jordy de Wijs, Sam McCallum, Moses Odubajo
Doubtful: Ilias Chair
Suspended: None
Birmingham City vs QPR Predicted XI
Birmingham City Predicted XI (3-4-1-2): Matija Sarkic; George Friend, Marc Roberts, Dion Sanderson; Kristian Pedersen, Ivan Sunjic, Jordan James, Jordan Graham; Riley McGree; Troy Deeney, Scott Hogan
QPR Predicted XI (3-4-3): Seny Dieng; Yoann Barbet, Jimmy Dunne, Rob Dickie; Lee Wallace, Stefan Johansen, Sam Field, Albert Adomah; Chris Willock, Lyndon Dykes, Charlie Austin
Birmingham City vs QPR Prediction
Birmingham City and QPR have endured similar results defensively, with 30 goals conceded by the hosts against 29 for the visiting side. QPR hold the advantage in the final third and have outscored the Blues by 13 goals.
Though the hosts have had almost two weeks to prepare for this game, a narrow win for the visiting side appears to be the most likely outcome from the game.
Prediction: Birmingham City 1-2 QPR
