Daniel Wood –
Queens Park Rangers will host Huddersfield Town in the SkyBet Championship at Loftus Road on Saturday 13th March 2021; 3 pm KO.
Huddersfield Town
The Terriers currently sit 19th in the Championship table, six points ahead of the relegation zone. It appears Carlos Corberan’s primary aim for his side now seems to be to survive a drop down to League One.
Last time out, Huddersfield Town drew 0-0 with Cardiff City. This result means that they have now drawn two times on the bounce and have not won in four games.
Town have the 23rd worst away record in the division, only winning two games on their travels so far this season. The Terriers are seven places behind the side they travel to on Saturday.
If results go their way, Town could end the day in 17th places which would provide them with some breathing room ahead of the bottom three.
Team News
Below is a list of Town’s current injuries and expected return dates:
- Carel Eiting (knee) – expected back in late April/early May.
- Tommy Elphick (knee) – expected back imminently.
- Danny Grant (hamstring) – expected back imminently
- Jonathan Hogg (calf) – expected back imminently.
- Josh Koroma (hamstring) – expected back mid-April.
- Alex Pritchard (quad) – expected back imminently.
- Christopher Schindler (knee) – expected back late April/early May.
- Harry Toffolo (back) – expected back late March/early April.
- Danny Ward (calf) – expected back imminently.
A lot of key players are scheduled to make their return to action soon which could provide the Terriers with the necessary boost to gain some positive results.
Queens Park Rangers
QPR currently sit 12th in the Championship table. They are 14 points ahead of the bottom three and 12 points behind the play-off places. It is looking like a mid-table finish for the London club.
In their last 12 games, they gathered eight victories. They have won their last two games in a row, which were both clean sheets. They defeated Wycombe Wanderers 1-0 at home and defeated Bristol City 2-0 away from home.
The R’s have the 12th best home record in the division. They have won seven, drew four and lost six games in the 17 they have played at Loftus Road this season.
Their manager, Mark Warburton, has been at the helm of the club since May 2019. Warburton has a win percentage of 33.72% at the club, which is his worst in management.
His previous managerial roles were with Nottingham Forest, Rangers FC, and Brentford. His highest win percentage came in Scotland with Rangers FC which he had a 65.85% win-rate.
Warburton’s biggest accomplishment in management is arguably getting Rangers FC promoted to the Scottish Premiership for the first time since being forced to drop to the lowest tier of Scottish football and winning the Scottish Challenge Cup in the same season.
He also had a successful reign as Brentford boss. He guided the club to the Championship, the first time the club had been in the second division of English football since 1993.
The QPR boss did not have much of a playing career making a total of 135 professional appearances for Enfield and Boreham Wood combined.
Ones to Watch
Charlie Austin
The loanee striker has started every game since arriving from West Bromwich Albion. He has scored five goals and played 88% of potential minutes, establishing himself quickly as their main striker.
He averages three shots a game, so expect him to challenge the goal a number of times on Saturday.
Ilias Chair
The Belgian attacking-midfielder has been a big goal contributor for QPR this season. He has seven goals and one assist to his name this season.
Chair averages 1.7 key passes per game with 1.7 and has scored in their last two outings.
Robert Dickie
The big centre-back has been a solid presence for the side this season.
He has scored two goals and provided an assist while performing his defensive duties and he ranks top four in almost every defensive stat for the squad, showing his importance to the team.
Predictions
Huddersfield Town slightly leads the head to head results against Queens Park Rangers. Since their first meeting in 1932, Town have won 14 times, there have been nine draws and QPR have won on 13 occasions.
The Terriers are unbeaten against QPR since Dec 2015. They have met six times during that time with Town winning four times and the sides drawing on two occasions.
Last time they played; Town ran out 2-0 winners at the John Smiths Stadium.
In the grand scheme of things, a win would mean more to Town’s season than it would to QPR’s. The Terriers are dangling precariously above the bottom three and any string of negative results could sink them.
QPR are mid-table and do not have much to play for in terms of impacting what division they play in next season, therefore they have less pressure on their shoulders.
There is no doubt that both teams want the three points and I fell as though it will be a closely contested game with no team really taking control.
If Carlos Corberan’s side can get some of their injured players back into the fold for the game then it could provide them with that extra firepower they have been craving and it could spur them on to victory.