Premier League preview: QPR v West Brom

Queens Park Rangers will seek to recover from their first defeat under Harry Redknapp when they host West Bromwich Albion on Wednesday.

QPR sacked Mark Hughes last month following a poor start to the season, and had enjoyed an immediate upturn in fortunes under Redknapp.

The veteran manager, axed by Tottenham at the end of last season, led QPR to three draws and a win in his first four matches in charge, helping them climb off the foot of the English Premier League table.

That sequence ended in a 1-0 defeat at underachieving Newcastle United on Saturday, with Shola Ameobi’s 81st-minute strike consigning the visitors to defeat at St James’ Park.

QPR find themselves 19th in the standings, one point ahead of bottom side Reading and five points back from Wigan and Southampton.

Experienced campaigner Redknapp, who orchestrated Portsmouth’s escape from trouble in 2005/06, knows he has it all do if he is to prevent QPR’s return to the Championship two seasons after they won that division under Neil Warnock.

Home form is likely to prove crucial if QPR are to survive, but taking points off West Brom will be not be easy at Loftus Road, with the West Midlands team going from strength to strength under the stewardship of Steve Clarke.

Previously an assistant coach at the likes of Chelsea, West Ham and Liverpool, Clarke replaced England-bound Roy Hodgson as manager at the end of last season, and has guided West Brom to the lofty position of sixth on the table, level on points with traditional heavyweights Tottenham, Everton and Arsenal.

It remains to be seen if West Brom, who defeated Norwich City 2-1 at home on Saturday, can stay in the hunt for a European berth come the end of the season, but for now they will confident of gaining a positive result when they arrive in west London this week.

QPR have a host of injury worries to contend with, something which has contributed to their struggles in the first half of the 2012/13 season.

Midfielders Park Ji-sung (knee) and Hogan Ephraim (hamstring) are both out, as are strikers Andy Johnson (knee) and Bobby Zamora (hip).

Goalkeeper Julio Cesar and fullback Jose Bosingwa are believed to be in contention to return from respective back injuries.

For West Brom, regular midfielders Claudio Yacob (hamstring) and Steven Reid (shin) could come back into the match-day squad.