Championship Preview - Sheffield Wednesday vs QPR - Analysis and Insights

After a successful international break for English football, in which England won two out of two Nation’s League games, domestic football is set to resume this weekend.

One game sees Sheffield Wednesday go up against QPR, two sides who have failed to make positive impressions out of the starting blocks in their opening four games of their respective Championship campaigns.

As the game approaches, we take a deeper dive into both sides, investigating players, lineups, strategies and absences that could influence the final result.

Sheffield Wednesday vs QPR Recent Form

Lingering in 20th position, hovering just above the relegation zone, Sheffield Wednesday’s form during the start of the season has left a lot to be desired. They won their first game against fellow strugglers Plymouth Argyle 4-0, but lost their next three league games.

The margins haven’t been close either. Losing 4-0 to Sunderland, 2-0 to Leeds and 3-0 to Millwall, the Owls’ have had serious struggles at both ends of the pitch. Conceding nine goals in three games while scoring none is the sort of form that sees the majority of teams relegated, and coach Danny Rohl will know that only too well.

Since the start of last season, Sheffield Wednesday have fallen behind in 17 Championship away games. 😬

Remarkably, they have lost every single one of those matches, failing to recover a single point from a losing position on their travels. 😭#SWFC pic.twitter.com/rjL9jg7sVQ
— The Championship Chat Podcast (@Champchatpod24) September 10, 2024

In fairness, they have advanced through two rounds of the Carabao Cup so far, beating Hull City 2-1 and Grimsby Town 5-1, but doing well in the Carabao Cup will be nothing more than a consolation should their form fail to pick up in the league.

QPR have had a considerably better time of things, but will be lamenting missed opportunities as opposed to poor defeats. Undefeated in the league since their defeat to West Brom on the opening day, QPR have drawn two games and won another.

Drawing consecutively against Sheffield United and Plymouth Argyle saw both the positive and negative. Drawing against Sheffield was a positive, as they finished the game with 10 men and were grateful to have held on for a point.

However, drawing with Plymouth was a qualified disaster. QPR had 30 shots to Plymouth’s 6, and finished the game with two more men than their opposition, but could only muster a 2-2 draw, and they will consider these two huge points dropped.

They did bounce back though, beating Luton Town 2-1 in their most recent league game to plant them in 12th, as mid-table as can be. QPR have also progressed through two rounds of the Carabao Cup, beating Cambridge United and Luton once again to reach round three, where they could potentially be set up for a rematch against the Owls’.

QPR limbs at Luton on Friday night.

Unreal scenes 💣💥#QPR pic.twitter.com/Ky4GTR2a84
— Greatest Football Limbs (@GreatestLimbs) September 1, 2024

With both sides looking to find their killer instinct, this game could be huge in setting up the rest of the season for both sides. A win for Wednesday and they are suddenly clear of the relegation zone. A win for QPR, and they will be knocking on the door of the promotion spots. The stakes are already significant, even at this early stage.

Sheffield Wednesday vs QPR Team News

Wednesday receive an encouraging boost heading into this game, as they have full availability having avoided serious injuries in the opening stages of the season.

However, QPR cannot say the same. They are missing Jack Colback, who went off injured in the second half of Ranger’s win over Luton, and Rayan Kolli, who has been out since the first game of the season against Plymouth.

The hard work hasn't stopped 🙅‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/zOamF9BZsI
— QPR FC (@QPR) September 11, 2024

Kolli could be in the squad for the upcoming game, having returned to the bench for QPR’s victory over Luton in the Carabao Cup, but Marti Cifuentes will be wary of returning him to first team action too soon.

Sheffield Wednesday vs QPR Recent Meetings

06/04/2024: QPR 0-2 Sheffield Wednesday.
16/12/2023: Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 QPR.
10/04/2021: Qpr 4-1 Sheffield Wednesday.
03/10/2020: Sheffield Wednesday 1-1 QPR.
11/07/2020: QPR 0-3 Sheffield Wednesday.

Sheffield Wednesday vs QPR Predicted Lineups

Sheffielder Wednesday (4-2-3-1): Beadle (GK), Valery, Ihiekwe, Bernard, M. Lowe, Bannan, Charles, Gassama, J. Lowe, Musaba, Ugbo.
QPR (4-2-3-1): Nardi (GK), Dunne, Cook, Clarke-Salter, Paal, Field, Andersen, Dembele, Varane, Lloyd, Frey.

Sheffield Wednesday vs QPR Player to Watch

Most football fans have heard the name Karamoko Dembele at some point. Playing on the wing for QPR these days, the former Celtic prodigy is the youngest player to ever take to the field both for Celtic and for Scotland, and was mentioned in the same breath as players such as Ansu Fati when talking about the next big thing.

However, he has not fulfilled his enormous initial promise as of yet, and playing in the second tier of England, his career will not exactly have panned out as he intended.

However, he is still an incredibly talented player; quick, versatile, and composed in almost any situation, he has all the tools to dismantle any opposition defense. The highest rated player in the QPR squad so far this season, averaging a 7.9 match rating, he seems to be hitting some serious form, and if he can maintain it, QPR should. coast through this fixture.

Read more on his fascinating story here.

The Championship players with the highest rating on @WhoScored so far this season:

1️⃣ Karamoko Dembele - 7.68
2️⃣ Matt Clarke - 7.63
3️⃣ Dennis Cirkin - 7.61
4️⃣ Oli Arblaster - 7.60
➡️ Josh Maja - 7.60
6️⃣ Lewie Coyle - 7.47
7️⃣ Duncan Watmore - 7.46
8️⃣ Finn Azaz - 7.43#QPR #Boro pic.twitter.com/hZEm2J7AlK
— Second Tier podcast (@secondtierpod) September 6, 2024