Preview: Stoke City vs Queens Park Rangers - prediction, team news, lineups

A resurgent Stoke City return to Championship action on Saturday as they host Queens Park Rangers at bet365 Stadium.

After a mid-season nosedive, the seasoned hand of boss Mark Robins has steadied the ship in the Potteries, with Stoke looking to claw back lost ground in the promotion picture.

Match preview

The Potters are buoyant after a hat-trick of consecutive victories in all competitions, most recently, a 1-0 win over Coventry City in the FA Cup, thanks to a thunderous last-gasp goal-of-the-round contender from Lamine Cisse.

Two momentous away wins in the league at Hull City (1-0) and Norwich City (2-0), respectively, preceded last weekend’s triumphant rendezvous in the cup.

Recent form has seen Stoke propelled up to eighth in the division, with Saturday’s hosts now within a point of the tightly congested playoff places.

Talisman Sorba Thomas will likely prove pivotal once again for the Staffordshire side, with the crafty winger leading the scoring for the club with nine goals this term, as well as six assists.

Meanwhile, QPR head north with play-off aspirations of their own, having registered a 3-0 win in their last Championship outing.

Despite crashing out of the FA Cup against a faltering West Ham side last Sunday, their encouraging display against a top-flight club will have only instilled confidence.

The Hoops have been a different proposition under new boss Julien Stephan, with the Frenchman overseeing quite the renaissance in West London, with the club seemingly perennially staving off the threat of relegation in recent seasons.

The visitors will take heart from the reverse fixture, which saw them run out 1-0 victors at Loftus Road earlier in the campaign, although they have fallen to defeat on their last two visits to Stoke.

Stoke City Championship form:

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Stoke City form (all competitions):

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Queens Park Rangers Championship form:

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Queens Park Rangers form (all competitions):

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Team News

The Potters have already been hit by further defensive setbacks this month. Ben Gibson was forced off with an injury at the MKM Stadium against Hull, adding to an injury list that already includes Aaron Cresswell (ankle), Eric Bocat (knee) and Lewis Baker (ankle).

In attack, Robert Bozenik is also unavailable after dislocating his shoulder, despite scoring in the New Year’s Day victory over the Tigers.

This is further compounded by the continued absence at the other end of the pitch, with goalkeeper Viktor Johansson still sidelined with a shoulder issue.

As for QPR, they will again be missing Jake Clarke-Salter, Ilias Chair, Ziyad Larkeche and Liam Morrison due to injury, with Rumarn Burrell and the in-demand Jonathan Varane also added to the casualty list after both were forced off against Sheffield Wednesday.

Head coach Stephan faces a further setback over Kwame Poku who was absent last week. However, there remains a chance the winger could be back in contention this weekend.

Stoke City possible starting lineup:

Bonham; Dixon, Griffin, Wilmot, Lawal; Seko, Nzonzi; Manhoef, Bae, Thomas; Gallagher

Queens Park Rangers possible starting lineup:

Nardi; Mbengue, Dunne, Cook, Norrington-Davies; Dembele, Madsen, Field, Smyth; Kolli, Kone

We say: Stoke City 2-1 Queens Park Rangers

With home advantage and in a rich vein of form, Stoke's momentum is impossible to ignore. Sitting eighth and closing in on the play-off places, they look well placed to keep this current run up in front of their home faithful. QPR’s lengthy injury list could make it challenging for them to compete with Stoke’s intensity, particularly away from home.

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