Both Queens Park Rangers and Sunderland will be hoping to bounce back from weekend defeats by progressing to the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup on Tuesday evening at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium.
The hosts slipped out of the playoff places in the Championship as a result of their loss, whilst their League One visitors still find themselves sitting in fourth in the division below despite the setback.
Match preview
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QPR have notched up three straight home wins in recent weeks, whilst losing as many games on the road during some recent away day struggles.
The latest came on Saturday when the Hoops threw away a second-half 1-0 lead at the ABAX Stadium against a relegation-threatened Peterborough United side.
Ilias Chair had given the visitors the lead five minutes into the second half via a corner fortunately curling straight into the back of the net, before being pegged back shortly after, and then conceding the losing goal in stoppage time.
As a result, Mark Warburton's side will be glad to be playing in front of their own supporters on Tuesday, where they have already beaten League One Oxford United and Premier League Everton in the previous two rounds of the competition.
Penalties were required to defeat Everton in round three, and also at Leyton Orient in round one back in August, in a competition that they have won just once before - back in 1967.
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As for Sunderland, they dropped from third to fourth in League One as a result of their disappointing 1-0 defeat at home to Charlton Athletic on Saturday.
That was just the second defeat in 14 matches for the Black Cats, as they go in search for their long-awaited return to the second tier of English football.
Despite dominating possession and attempting plenty of shots against their struggling opponents, Sunderland failed to create any clear-cut opportunities in an unusually frustrating display compared to recent weeks.
After already achieving success away at Port Vale, Blackpool and Wigan Athletic in the previous three rounds, Lee Johnson's side will not be fazed by facing another away trip in round four on Tuesday.
Although they will not be expected to progress much further in a competition that they have failed to win in their entire history, Sunderland can be proud of their achievements so far considering they find themselves as the only side outside of the top two divisions that remain in the cup heading into Tuesday.
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Team News
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Experienced defender Lee Wallace remains unavailable for the hosts on Tuesday, as well as long-term absentee Sam Field.
Sam McCallum was replaced late on against Peterborough on Saturday due to a hamstring injury, and after being sidelined only recently, he may not be risked as a result.
Changes to their starting 11 are expected due to their challenge for a playoff place in the Championship, which could mean the likes of Andre Gray, Moses Odubajo, Osman Kakay and Luke Amos come back into the lineup.
Meanwhile, the visitors remain without long-term absentees of their own - with Arbenit Xhemajli and Jordan Willis remaining on the sidelines.
Niall Huggins will also miss out due to a shoulder injury, whilst Nathan Broadhead may remain out due to his recent absence through injury.
Manager Johnson has admitted that changes will be required during their busy schedule of fixtures.
Queens Park Rangers possible starting lineup:
Dieng; Dickie, Dunne, de Wijs; Odubajo, Amos, Johansen, Kakay; Chair; Willock, Gray
Sunderland possible starting lineup:
Burge; Winchester, Wright, Flanagan, Hume; O'Nien, Neil; Dajaku, Embleton, Gooch; Stewart
We say: Queens Park Rangers 2-1 Sunderland
Sunderland are likely to provide a tough test for their Championship opponents on Tuesday, but with home advantage adding to the extra quality available to the hosts, QPR should come out victorious here.
The number of changes that each side make could prove to be key as well, although neither are likely to play a drastically weakened team with a quarter-final spot awaiting the winners.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Sunderland win with a probability of 40.24%. A win for Queens Park Rangers had a probability of 34.75% and a draw had a probability of 25%.
The most likely scoreline for a Sunderland win was 1-2 with a probability of 8.71%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-1 (8.65%) and 0-2 (6.41%). The likeliest Queens Park Rangers win was 2-1 (7.99%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.75%).
