Queens Park Rangers play host to Blackpool on Wednesday evening looking to end a four-match winless streak in the Championship.
While the home side have managed to remain in fourth position in the standings, Blackpool are down in 15th place after failing to record a victory in their last three outings.
Match preview
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Heading into February, QPR looked to be emerging as dark horses for automatic promotion after a run of five wins from six outings in the league.
However, that has been followed by a four-game winless streak, with three of those fixtures taking place against teams occupying positions in the bottom half of the table.
The latest of those setbacks came on Saturday as Mark Warburton's side were held to a 1-1 draw by Hull City, Ilias Chair netting an equaliser 15 minutes from time.
On a positive note, QPR's fate remains in their own hands with a four-point advantage over seventh-placed Middlesbrough, but they need to get back on track as soon as possible with the chasing pack having a game in hand.
QPR also have just six matches remaining at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium, something which will not be lost on Warburton ahead of this fixture.
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From Blackpool's perspective, they still have feint hopes of challenging for the playoffs, but attempting to achieve a top-10 finish is a more realistic target.
That particularly rings true after a three-game winless streak, although Neil Critchley will be relatively satisfied with a 1-1 draw at in-form Cardiff City on Saturday.
The Seasiders now hold a 21-point lead over the bottom three with 14 games remaining, a dream scenario in their first year back in the second tier.
However, that will not stop Critchley from demanding more for a group of players who will feel that they are playing to feature in Critchley's plans for next season, one which will be more focused on a playoff bid.
It has gone under the radar that Blackpool have netted in their last 10 Championship matches, but Jerry Yates and Shayne Lavery still lead the scoring charts with seven goals apiece.
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Team News
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With Rob Dickie still serving a ban, Wolverhampton Wanderers loanee Dion Sanderson is expected to retain his spot in the QPR back three.
Stefan Johansen may return to replace either Sam Field or Jeff Hendrick in midfield, with Moses Odubajo potentially returning at left wing-back.
Blackpool continue to possess one of the longest injury lists in the division, leaving Critchley with limited ways to tinker with his starting lineup.
CJ Hamilton is an option on the left flank in place of Charlie Kirk, while Lavery may come into the team ahead of Yates or Gary Madine.
No player in either squad are in any immediate danger of a two-match suspension for 10 yellow cards.
Queens Park Rangers possible starting lineup:
Dieng; Sanderson, Dunne, Barbet; Adomah, Field, Johansen, Odubajo; Willock, Chair; Austin
Blackpool possible starting lineup:
Grimshaw; Sterling, Ekpiteta, Thorniley, James; Bowler, Connolly, Stewart, Hamilton; Yates, Madine
We say: Queens Park Rangers 2-1 Blackpool
With the chasing pack making ground every game, this feels like a must-win match for QPR. Blackpool will fancy their chances of earning at least a point at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium, but we are backing Warburton's side to battle their way to an important victory.
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 Queens Park Rangers win with a probability of 48.16%. A win for Blackpool had a probability of 26.9% and a draw had a probability of 24.9%.
The most likely scoreline for a Queens Park Rangers win was 1-0 with a probability of 10.54%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.42%) and 2-0 (8.38%). The likeliest Blackpool win was 0-1 (7.45%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.84%). The actual scoreline of 2-1 was predicted with a 9.4% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole correctly predicted a 2-1 win for Queens Park Rangers in this match and our data analysis correctly predicted the win for Queens Park Rangers.
