- Birmingham City are unbeaten in 4 home games in the Championship 2026/2027, but yet to win one (4 draws).
- Queens Park Rangers have drawn 4 of their last 5 games.
- The Rs have not lost any of their 5 away games in the Championship 2026/2027, winning 2 and drawing 3.
Blues and Rs are close in the table
Birmingham City and Queens Park Rangers sit level on 14 points apiece in the Championship 2026/2027 table, with the Blues in seventh place and The Rs in sixth, so there is some real top-half bite to Saturday's clash at St Andrew's Knighthead Park.
But this game could be close, so it makes little sense that the Blues are only 99/100 favourites when QPR are 64/25 and the draw is 49/20.
Chris Davies took charge of Birmingham at the start of July 2024 and has tried to blend a possession-based approach with some physicality and set-piece power to create a new identity for the club. It has worked to some extent with Birmingham winning 2-1 at Derby and 1-0 at West Brom in their last three league outings, but they also drew 2-2 at home with Middlesbrough and have yet to break the deadlock into three points at home in this competition.
QPR have been in much more solid form under Julien Stéphan, who took over on 25 June 2025 and has built his reputation on the back of a compact and disciplined structure with some quick players to exploit transitions. The problem for Stéphan is that this game will be a clash of styles, with Birmingham trying to pin them in and the visitors looking to take the ball quickly.
QPR look better suited to secure a result
The most important thing for Stéphan to remember is that his side are better suited to getting results than Birmingham, which they have done in 5 of their 5 road games so far this season. They are yet to lose away with 2 wins and 3 draws, so it's no surprise to learn that The Rs' road numbers are sturdier than their home stats. Away from home, Stéphan's side have scored 1.40 goals and conceded just 0.80 per game, which is why we fancy them to nick it here.
Birmingham have drawn all 4 of their home games in the Championship 2026/2027 so far, scoring 1.75 goals and conceding 1.75 per game. That suggests this is unlikely to be a cagey affair, but the draw looks a live runner and perhaps a safer play than the home side in the 90 minutes market.
A draw or under 2.5 goals looks a decent alternative play too given QPR have gone 4 straight draws and Birmingham have shared the points in their last 3 home Championship games. The Blues' creative spark this season has been Liam Millar, who has 3 assists in his last 5 appearances, while Carlos Vicente has provided the club's only real goal threat in the new campaign with 2 in 8. Ilias Chair has 2 in 5 games for The Rs, so he offers their sharpest edge in the final third.
