Preview: Blackburn Rovers vs Queens Park Rangers - prediction, team news, lineups

Blackburn Rovers play host to Queens Park Rangers on Wednesday night looking for the win that will continue to move the club away from the relegation zone.

At a time when Rovers sit in 18th position in the Championship table, the visitors to Ewood Park are three points ahead of them in 15th place.

Match preview

When Blackburn had won just two of 11 games at the start of the season, Valerien Ismael was under pressure to retain his role as head coach.

However, the Frenchman deserves huge praise for instigating a surprise turnaround at Ewood Park, Blackburn having prevailed from four of their last five matches in the Championship.

Only Derby County - the one team to beat Blackburn during this run - have collected the same amount of points, with Rovers beating Southampton, Leicester City, Bristol City and Preston North End.

Perhaps most notably, Blackburn have not scored more than twice in any of that quartet of wins, emphasising their improvements in defence since conceding 11 times across a five-game stint prior to this upturn in fortunes.

The form of Andri Gudjohnsen has been key, the Iceland forward and son of ex-Chelsea man Eidur Gudjohnsen netting four times across the last five games.

Blackburn will move ahead of their 15th-placed opponents with success on Wednesday, yet QPR are seemingly back on a positive trajectory.

Three defeats in a row heaped pressure on Julien Stephan, but the Hoops have responded with four points from games against Sheffield United and Hull City.

Having conceded six times across a double-header with Ipswich Town and Southampton at Loftus Road, keeping a clean sheet in a goalless draw at Sheffield United felt like a step in the right direction.

That was followed by a thrilling 3-2 victory over Hull last weekend, Stephan watching his team come from behind twice before Rumarn Burrell's 66th-minute goal proved to be the difference.

Burrell now has five goals - all in separate games - since October 18, the 24-year-old emerging as one of the form players at this level of English football.

Blackburn Rovers Championship form:

L W W W L W

Queens Park Rangers Championship form:

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Team News

Recent Chorley loanee George Pratt made his Blackburn debut in the back three against Preston and the 22-year-old will hope to retain the faith of Ismael for this game.

That is likely with Scott Wharton and Hayden Carter both sidelined, while goalkeeper Aynsley Pears is expected to start again in place of the injured Balazs Toth.

While Taylor Gardner-Hickman has served a suspension, it remains to be seen whether Ismael will tinker with a winning team.

The same applies with QPR, but Jake Clarke-Salter may not be risked having made his first outing of the campaign at the weekend.

Steve Cook is on standby to replace the centre-back in what may prove to be the only alteration made by Stephan.

Blackburn Rovers possible starting lineup:

Pears; Miller, McLoughlin, Pratt; Alebisou, Tronstad, Montgomery, Hedges; Morishita; Ohashi, Gudjohnsen

Queens Park Rangers possible starting lineup:

Hamer; Mbengue, Dunne, Cook, Norrington-Davies; Varane, Madsen; Dembele, Kone, Chair; Burrell

We say: Blackburn Rovers 1-1 Queens Park Rangers

With QPR having gotten back on track at the weekend, they will back themselves to earn at least a share of the spoils at Ewood Park. Even though Blackburn can class themselves as one of the form teams in the division, their abysmal home record means a draw feels most likely here.

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