Preview: Stoke City vs. Queens Park Rangers - prediction, team news, lineups

The R's have produced some notable away displays of late to distance themselves from the bottom three, whilst Stoke will be hoping they can be crowned as the best of the bottom half this term.

Match preview

Stoke's winless run extended to five matches last Saturday after they were forced to share the spoils in South Wales against a Cardiff City side fighting for their lives at the bottom of the second tier.

Josh Laurent put the Potters ahead early on but the visitors were soon pegged back, with Sory Kaba netting his eighth league goal since joining the Bluebirds in January from Midtjylland.

During a five-game unbeaten spell which commenced with a 5-1 victory at Sunderland, Alex Neil's men threatened to break into the top half of the Championship in the closing stages of this season, although now it appears Stoke will be finishing up in familiar territory.

Neil's side are currently 16th in the second-tier standings - The Potters have finished between 14th and 16th in their last four campaigns, meaning fans can be excused for sensing stagnation.

Stoke have not tasted victory at their Staffordshire home in four matches, with a brace from right-back Ki-Jana Hoever helping the hosts to a 3-2 win over Blackburn Rovers in the middle of March.

QPR managed to pull off one of the most impressive Championship results this season last time out to give their survival ambitions a massive boots, with the West Londoners earning a 2-1 victory at Burnley.

Prior to the R's turning up last weekend, no team in the division had been able to beat Vincent Kompany's title-winning Clarets at their formidable Turf Moor home, yet second-half strikes from Sam Field and substitute Chris Martin sealed all three points for the visitors.

Gareth Ainsworth heavily praised his side after the full-time whistle in Lancashire but also commended the support of the travelling QPR fans who have witnessed an almighty collapse from their men since the start of the season under the stewardship of Michael Beale.

The R's have won just twice this calendar year, and - in truth - only their impressive early-campaign form has kept relegation to League One as more of a worry than a certainty.

Sitting 18th in the league standings and four points above 22nd-placed Reading with two matches left to play, QPR know three points at the bet365 Stadium on Saturday would secure their safety after a difficult term for the club.

Stoke City Championship form:

W

L

D

L

L

D

Queens Park Rangers Championship form:

L

L

D

L

D

W

Team News

Stoke City have a host of key first-team players who have been missing in recent matches including goalkeeper Matija Sarkic - Neil is hopeful the Wolverhampton Wanderers loanee will be able to play a part before the season's end.

One player who looks set to miss the remainder of the campaign is winger Jacob Brown, with the 24-year-old suffering a leg injury during the defeat at home to Wigan Athletic last week.

Axel Tuanzebe is a doubt for Saturday's match due to a muscle injury, meaning it is likely to be a central-defensive trio of Connor Taylor, Phil Jagielka and Morgan Fox for the hosts.

QPR's medical room is less busy than it was a few months ago, however right-back Osman Kakay remains sidelined with a knee injury sustained up in March.

Better news this week has arrived in the form of defender Jake Clarke-Salter, with manager Ainsworth revealing the 25-year-old is ready to return to first-team action after being forced off against Norwich City last week.

Stoke City possible starting lineup:

Bonham; Taylor, Jagielka, Fox; Hoever, Smallbone, Pearson, Laurent, Tymon; Campbell, Gayle

Queens Park Rangers possible starting lineup:

Dieng; Laird, Dunne, Dickie, Paal; Adomah, Iroegbunam, Field, Chair; Lowe, Dykes

We say: Stoke City 1-2 Queens Park Rangers

Stoke have allowed their season to fizzle out over the last few games and now face a tough assignment against a QPR side full of talent despite their league standing.

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