Promotion hopefuls Huddersfield Town will be looking to claim their third successive Championship victory when they welcome an out-of-form Queens Park Rangers side to the John Smith's Stadium on Good Friday.
The Terriers have won five of their last seven league matches on home soil, while the R's have lost seven of their last eight league games on the road.
Match preview
After suffering back-to-back defeats against Millwall and Bournemouth without scoring, Huddersfield have since bounced back with successive victories without conceding against Hull City and Luton Town.
A slender 1-0 win over the Tigers was followed by a 2-0 success at home against the Hatters on Monday night, with Jon Russell and Naby Sarr both on the scoresheet to help the Terriers claim their 19th league win of the season.
Carlos Corberan's men remain third in the Championship standings, six points clear of Blackburn Rovers in seventh and four points behind the automatic promotion places, though Bournemouth in second spot have two games in hand.
Huddersfield, who have won four of their last five league games on Good Friday, have only lost one of their last eight meetings with QPR, but that solitary defeat was in the reverse fixture earlier this season when they lost 1-0 at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium in November.
Victories for the Terriers in their next two games against QPR and Middlesbrough would surely consolidate their place in the playoffs and could also keep their slim hopes of a top-two finish alive.
At the beginning of February, QPR were sitting fourth in the Championship table and just two points behind the automatic promotion places. Fast-forward nine weeks and the R's have since plummeted down the standings to 11th place, six points behind the playoffs and 14 points adrift of the top two.
Mark Warburton's men have lost nine of their last 12 matches, more than any other second-tier side during this period. The R's are also currently enduring a five-game losing streak and they last suffered more defeats in succession between January and February 2019 (losing seven in a row).
QPR are set for a seventh consecutive season in the Championship unless they turn their fortunes around quickly and finish the season strongly.
While their Good Friday encounter with Huddersfield could prove challenging, QPR can take confidence from their slender win in the reverse fixture, which saw Luke Amos come off the bench to score the only goal of the game.
Victory for Warburton's side at the John Smith's Stadium would see them do the double over the Terriers for the first time since 2002-03.
- L
- D
- L
- L
- W
- W
- W
- L
- L
- L
- L
- L
Team News
Huddersfield defender Matty Pearson is set to miss the rest of the season after suffering a knee injury in training before the win against Luton.
The Terriers will also be without Alex Vallejo (knee), Ronaldo Aarons (leg) and Ryan Schofield (shoulder) who continue to recover from long-term injuries.
Tom Lees, Jonathan Hogg and Levi Colwill could all keep their places in the back three, while either Josh Koroma or Duane Holmes could start in the front three alongside Danny Ward and Danel Sinani.
As for QPR, Robert Dickie, Chris Willock and David Marshall are all ruled out for the rest of the season with hamstring injuries, while Seny Dieng (thigh), Jordan Archer (leg), Yoann Barbet (knee), Lee Wallace and Jeff Hendrick (both hamstring) are also on the treatment table.
Kieran Westwood missed last weekend's 2-1 loss at Preston North End due to illness, and 20-year-old Murphy Mahoney was handed his senior debut between the sticks as a result, but the former is expected to return to the first XI if he is deemed fit to play.
Lyndon Dykes is the most likely candidate to lead the line, while Charlie Austin and Andre Gray are also options for Warburton in attack.
Huddersfield Town possible starting lineup:
Nicholls; Lees, Hogg, Colwill; Thomas, Russell, O'Brien, Toffolo; Sinani, Ward, Koroma
Queens Park Rangers possible starting lineup:
Westwood; Odubajo, Sanderson, Dunne, McCallum; Amos, Field, Johansen; Chair; Austin, Dykes
We say: Huddersfield Town 3-1 Queens Park Rangers
Both sides still have plenty to play for as they head into their final five league fixtures, though the pressure is on QPR to bounce back from their dismal run, with Warburton's job seemingly hanging by a thread.
QPR were a different team when they beat Huddersfield five months ago, and although they will fancy their chances of success on Friday, the Terriers should have no problems in securing maximum points on home soil.
body check tags ::
Previews by email
