Birmingham City will face QPR at St Andrew’s on Saturday, pitting two unlikely quick starts from the first ten games of the Championship season.

The Blues have high expectations as a football club, so it’s less surprising that they’re fourth with 17 points after ten games, but considering how last season went, many critics thought Chris Davies had reached a ceiling, and he’s gone on to prove that’s not the case.

Meanwhile, QPR’s current position, only behind their hosts in goals scored, is considerably more surprising, and the fact that their impressive win against Derby County on Wednesday ended a five-game winless streak demonstrates how great their start has been.

Select the EFL Championship table.

Pos

Club

Pts

GD

4. Birmingham City

17 +6 (17/11)

5. QPR

17 +6 (15/9)

Both will be hoping to build on their emphatic midweek victories, particularly Birmingham, who had not won at home this season prior to Tuesday’s 4-0 victory over Preston North End, while a win for Julien Stephan’s side would strengthen their drive for promotion this season.

These ten players, unfortunately, will be unable to participate.

Paik Seung-Ho

Paik Seung-ho has been a stalwart in Chris Davies’ side since he took over at St Andrew’s ahead of their record-breaking League One season in the summer of 2024/25.

The 29-year-old has missed only eight league games over the last two seasons, and he started the first eight of the current season before being forced to withdraw from international duty with South Korea early in the last break.

Prior to the Blues’ victory over Preston, Davies confirmed that Paik will miss both Tuesday’s and Saturday’s home games.

Marc Leonard

Marc Leonard played the second half of last season on loan with Hearts, helping them compete for the SPL title. However, his stint with the Jam Tarts was cut short in mid-May when he sustained an Achilles injury.

The 24-year-old will most likely not be seen until the new year, and it will be interesting to see what Chris Davies has planned for him when he returns.

Amadou Mbengue

The latest injury issue in the QPR camp is defender Amadou Mbengue, who was stretchered off with what appeared to be a significant knee injury during the win against Derby.

Julien Stephan stated that it hampered their great victory, and while the official diagnosis has yet to be announced, he will be unavailable on Saturday.

Dennis Cirkin

Dennis Cirkin will serve the final game of his three-match suspension this weekend after receiving a straight red card in QPR’s penultimate game before the international break against Preston.

The 24-year-old should be available for the Hoops’ crucial match against Swansea City next Saturday.

Tariq Lamptey

Tariq Lamptey’s injury issues appear to have followed him to Loftus Road, which must be devastating for both the club and the right-back himself.

After missing the last two games before the break, the 26-year-old came in as a substitute against West Ham United but worsened an ankle injury, forcing him to miss the midweek match.

Julien Stephan said he didn’t know the severity until a scan arrived, but even if it’s the best-case scenario and he’s alright, the Hoops manager may be hesitant to throw him back into the fray.

Ilias Chair

Ilias Chair is another player who has struggled with injuries in recent years, appearing in only 28 and 15 league games in the last two seasons, respectively.

The Moroccan has been missing since being removed against Middlesbrough in early September, but he shouldn’t be out for long, with Julien Stephan confirming earlier this week that he’s close to returning to training.

Saturday, however, will probably come too soon.

Rumarn Burrell

Rumarn Burrell had a fantastic first season at QPR before being sidelined by injury, and the same appears to be true in his second season.

The Jamaican international had to withdraw from international service early due to a knock, and he has not played in the league since.

Koki Saito

Koki Saito has also not played since the international break, but it is unclear what is affecting his availability.

The Japanese winger’s minutes have been limited since missing the goalless draw against Charlton Athletic due to a knock, but it’s uncertain when he’ll return to the pitch.

Karamoko Dembele

In late September, there was some good news from the QPR camp: Karamoko Dembele was getting closer to returning to action after suffering an ACL injury in February.

He won’t be back just yet, but his long-awaited return should happen sooner rather than later.

Justin Obikwu

And Justin Obikwu continues to fight to stay fit at QPR. Since coming at Loftus Road in January, the former Coventry City player has made only one appearance for the club.

The 22-year-old was forced to miss training ahead of the West Ham encounter last weekend and will most likely be unable to play at Birmingham.