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Preview: West Bromwich Albion vs. Queens Park Rangers - prediction, team news, lineups

sportsmole.co.uk, 8 April 2023, 08:00
With their playoff hopes continuing to fade, West Bromwich Albion return to The Hawthorns to tackle relegation-threatened Queens Park Rangers in the Championship on Monday evening.

Carlos Corberan's men were seen off 3-1 by Rotherham United last time out, while their visitors' Good Friday ended in misery with a 2-0 loss to Preston North End.

Match preview

Jordan Hugill's loan spell at West Brom may not have worked out as intended for club or player, and the travelling Baggies fans certainly made their feelings known towards the Rotherham striker in Friday's showdown, but he would ultimately have the last laugh.

John Swift had propelled West Brom into the ascendancy from the penalty spot, but a pair of Hugill headers - the first of which he celebrated by goading the Baggies fans - preceded a thumping close-range finish from Tariqe Fosu to extend the Baggies' winless run to three matches.

Making no bones about the manner of his side's "totally unacceptable" display at the New York Stadium, Corberan's chances of guiding West Brom into the playoffs are dwindling, as Monday's hosts sit 10th in the table and five points behind Blackburn Rovers in the final post-season position.

However, for all of their deficiencies on the road, West Brom can always be relied upon to deliver at The Hawthorns; since losing 2-0 to Sheffield United in October, Corberan's men have strung together an 11-game unbeaten run on their own patch, remarkably conceding just once in the process.

Nine of those 11 home matches have ended in wins - the aberrations being a 1-1 draw with Blackburn Rovers and goalless stalemate with Millwall on April 1 - and many will expect Corberan to receive the immediate response that he has implored his players to provide.

While the Easter celebrations are not in full flow at The Hawthorns, QPR are hardly brimming with springtime cheer either, as Gareth Ainsworth's men slumped to their fourth successive defeat at the hands of Preston on Friday afternoon.

A quickfire brace from Tom Cannon in the second half at the Loftus Road Stadium put QPR to the sword and deepened their demotion concerns, leaving them hovering just above the dotted line in 21st place with just six fixtures left to go.

It would take something special for Blackpool or Wigan Athletic to clamber out of danger now, but Reading - who are reeling from a six-point deduction - have just one point to make up to Ainsworth's side, who still have just the one win to their name since the turn of the year.

Since edging past Watford in March, QPR have conceded 10 goals while scoring just one in losses to Blackpool, Birmingham City, Wigan Athletic and Preston, while they are also winless in eight successive away games - losing each of their last four ahead of a daunting trip to The Hawthorns.

A Kyle Bartley winner was enough to propel West Brom to a 1-0 success at Loftus Road Stadium back in November, and QPR have not beaten the Baggies at The Hawthorns since a 4-1 Premier League drubbing in the 2014-15 season.

West Bromwich Albion Championship form:

L

W

W

D

D

L

Queens Park Rangers Championship form:

L

W

L

L

L

L

Team News

West Brom came through their defeat to Rotherham without any fresh injury concerns to take into account, but Dara O'Shea (knee), Jayson Molumby (groin), Matt Phillips (quad), Grady Diangana (foot) and Kean Bryan (ACL) remain confined to the treatment room.

There were few positives for Corberan to take away from the loss to Rotherham, but the return of Karlan Grant from his own quadriceps problem was a welcome sight, and the 25-year-old is one of several options for change amid the quick turnaround.

Tom Rogic, Marc Albrighton and Kyle Bartley could also force their way back in, with the latter likely feeling extremely confident of displacing Semi Ajayi in the wake of his error-strewn showing on Friday.

As for QPR, Osman Kakay continues his recovery from a knee injury and remains unavailable, while Sinclair Armstrong and Tim Iroegbunam were both absent against Preston after picking up knocks on international duty.

Jake Clarke-Salter (calf) remains out too, while Leeds United loanee Tyler Roberts is in the final stages of his recovery his own calf injury but is unlikely to be thrown back into the thick of things just yet.

While wholesale changes should not be on the cards for the visitors, the fresh legs of Luke Amos and Jamal Lowe could very well be utilised here.

West Bromwich Albion possible starting lineup:

Griffiths; Furlong, Bartley, Pieters, Townsend; Chalobah, Rogic; Wallace, Swift, Albrighton; Dike

Queens Park Rangers possible starting lineup:

Dieng; Dickie, Dunne, Balogun; Laird, Amos, Field, Paal; Chair; Lowe, Dykes

We say: West Bromwich Albion 2-0 Queens Park Rangers

West Brom may have travelled home from Rotherham with their tails between their legs, but the stage is set for the home specialists to reignite their playoff push on Easter Monday.

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