Queens Park Rangers host Barnsley in the Championship on Wednesday evening, hoping to win their fourth successive league match on home soil for the first time since September 2017.

Meanwhile, the Tykes are looking to claim their sixth consecutive league victory for the first time since February 2016 and move into the playoffs.

Match preview

Queens Park Rangers were unable to finish the month of February unbeaten as they lost 2-1 away at struggling Birmingham City last weekend.

The Hoops were heading into the final 10 minutes a goal up after Charlie Austin broke the deadlock on the stroke of half time, however the hosts turned the game on its head, scoring two goals in three minutes to snatch the points from Mark Warburton's side.

QPR had been in fine form before Saturday's defeat, accumulating 19 points from a possible 24 available, which helped steer them clear of the relegation zone.

Warburton's men are currently 17th in the Championship, 11 points clear of the bottom three and are one of three teams in the league who have up to two games in hand.

QPR head into Wednesday's match with Barnsley having lost each of their last three league games against them, conceding nine goals in the process.

The Hoops will be looking to rectify their form against the Yorkshire outfit and with a late playoff push not out of the question, victory at Loftus Road would see them move 11 points behind sixth-placed Bournemouth if they were to lose to Bristol City.

Barnsley's charge up the table continued last weekend as they won their fifth Championship match on the spin for the first time since September 1996, beating Millwall 2-1 at Oakwell.

Goals from Cauley Woodrow and Michal Helik sealed the Tykes' ninth home win of the campaign, moving them up to seventh in the table and eclipsing last season's point tally of 49 with 14 games still to play.

Valerien Ismael's side, who were tipped for relegation at the beginning of this campaign, have exceeded all expectations so far and are now just one point behind Bournemouth inside the top six, who they will face in 10 days' time.

Confidence is high with the Tykes right now, and they have won each of their last three meetings with QPR, including a comfortable 3-0 home victory in October earlier this campaign.

Barnsley have never won back-to-back visits to Loftus Road, but securing three points on Wednesday could see them move into the playoffs and within nine points of the top two with a game in hand.

Queens Park Rangers Championship form: WWWWDL

Barnsley Championship form: DWWWWW
Barnsley form (all competitions): LWWWWW

Team News

Warburton is unlikely to make many changes to his starting lineup, despite QPR picking up just one point from the last six available.

Playmaker Ilias Chair, who was an unused substitute in the defeat to Birmingham, could return to the side at the expense of Chris Willock.

For Barnsley, Ismael has alternated defenders Michael Sollbauer and Toby Sibbick in each of the last six matches, so the latter could start ahead of the Austrian on Wednesday night.

Forward Conor Chaplin, who has begun the last two matches on the bench, will be pushing to start ahead of either Carlton Morris or Daryl Dike.

Queens Park Rangers possible starting lineup:
Dieng; Dickie, Cameron, Barbet; Kane, Ball, Johansen, Hamalainen; Chair; Austin, Bonne

Barnsley possible starting lineup:
Collins; Sibbick, Helik, Andersen; Brittain, Palmer, Mowatt, Styles; Woodrow, Dike, Morris

We say: Queens Park Rangers 1-2 Barnsley

Both sides have improved since the turn of the year and are now looking towards the right end of the table, with hopes of finishing the season strongly.

QPR have won each of their last three home matches in the league, all against teams above them in the table, but face one of the Championship's most in-form outfits in Barnsley, who have a good record against the Hoops.

A close encounter is to be expected at Loftus Road, but the rampant form of the visitors should give them the edge to seal a narrow victory on Wednesday night.

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