West Bromwich Albion host Queens Park Rangers at The Hawthorns this weekend, hoping to maintain their push for promotion to the Premier League.
Albion are currently sixth in the table, with 52 points from 35 matches, while QPR are 14th, eight points off the playoff zone.
Match preview
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The hosts claimed a valuable point in a 1-1 draw away to league leaders Leeds United at the weekend, as Darnell Furlong netted an equaliser for the Baggies following Junior Firpo's opener.
West Brom come into this fixture in relatively good form, having only lost once in their last five matches in the league.
Their form at home has been impressive of late, having won six of their past eight league matches at The Hawthorns in the league.
West Brom have a particularly good record against teams from London, and they have not lost in their previous 17 games against sides in from the capital in the Championship, dating back to a 1-0 defeat against Crystal Palace back in September 2009.
The hosts are also among the top-10 teams for scoring goals in the division, with 45 goals in 35 matches so far this campaign.
They have performed even better defensively, having conceded only 32 times in the league this season, making them the fifth-best defensive team in the division.
Albion have had to overcome unexpected changes in management throughout the campaign to maintain their push for promotion to the Premier League.
Carlos Corberan was snapped up by La Liga strugglers Valencia in December, with Chris Brunt put in temporary control before Tony Mowbray returned for a second stint in charge of the Baggies in January.
The hosts have won three times and drawn twice in Mowbray's eight games in charge, and this weekend they will look to add to the 31 points that they have gained on home soil so far this season.
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They face a QPR team that have an outside chance of reaching the playoffs this season, as the R's are looking to close the eight-point gap between themselves and the Baggies this weekend.
Their defeat to Sheffield United last weekend was already their fifth league loss of 2025, with all of those coming in the last seven matches.
The R's were ninth and just four points off the playoffs in January following their 2-1 win over Hull City, which was the fourth victory in a row during a good run of form for the London side.
Since then, their only wins have come against Blackburn Rovers and Derby County, with all of their other matches ending in defeat.
This has made a place in the playoffs far more unlikely than it looked just over a month ago, but a win against another promotion hopeful this weekend would certainly improve their chances.
With crunch games against promotion rivals Middlesbrough and Leeds in the weeks immediately following this fixture, the table could look very different in just a few weeks.
QPR have only won four times away from home so far this season, and seven of their 13 defeats in the league have come on the road, so the R's will be looking to prove a point on the road this weekend, as they search for their first win on their travels since January 21.
West Brom will feel confident that they can boost their promotion hopes this weekend, having won the reverse fixture between these sides earlier in the campaign, as Josh Maja netted a hat-trick to help the Baggies to a 3-1 success.
The history books also favour the Baggies, as they have only lost once in their past 11 league games against QPR, and the R's have only won once at The Hawthorns in their previous 12 league visits to West Brom.
Team News
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West Brom have a couple of players out for this fixture, as Jed Wallace (leg) is not expected back until later this month.
Elsewhere, Maja, who was the hat-trick hero when these two sides last met, is not expected back until at least next month due to a calf injury, while Semi Ajayi (hamstring) will also be sidelined for several weeks.
Meanwhile, Karamoko Dembele continued his return from a serious knee injury with a cameo appearance against Sheffield United last weekend, and he should be in the squad for the visitors again this weekend.
Lucas Andersen was also named on the bench for the game against the Blades following a recent calf issue, and he should also be included in the squad.
However, Harvey Vale, Rayan Kolli, Zan Celar (hamstring) and Jake Clarke-Salter (hip) are all expected to miss this clash due to injuries.
Sam Field, a graduate of the West Brom academy is also unavailable for the visitors, as he has an ankle injury that could rule him out for the rest of the campaign.
West Bromwich Albion possible starting lineup:
Wildsmith; Styles, Heggem, Bartley, Furlong; Mowatt, Molumby, Johnston, Swift, Price; Armstrong
Queens Park Rangers possible starting lineup:
Nardi; Paal, Edwards, Cook, Dunne; Varane, Chair, Colback, Morgan, Yang; Frey
We say: West Bromwich Albion 2-1 Queens Park Rangers
The hosts come into this game in slightly better form than QPR, and with home advantage, we are expecting the Baggies to claim all three points.
It should be an entertaining encounter at The Hawthorns, as both teams need the points to continue their promotion push, despite the visitors looking like outsiders given their recent slump.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Tom Humphrey
