2026-27 Sky Bet Championship: Week Five – Saturday

QPR look to continue their unbeaten start to the Championship season in a tricky test against Middlesbrough. 

Victory would put QPR top for at least a few hours, whilst Middlesbrough could go as high as second with a win if results elsewhere go in his favour.

 

Team News

QPR have no fresh injury concerns to report after their 2-1 midweek win over Cardiff.

Boy Kemper (ankle) and Karamoko Dembele (ACL) remain absent.

Middlesbrough manager, Kim Hellberg could hand debuts to Amario Cozier-Duberry and Connor Barron.

Myles Peart-Harris is available after he sat out their 1-1 draw at Burnley due to an unspecified injury, whilst Jeremy Sarmiento remains sidelined with an unspecified injury.

 

When is Kick-Off?

QPR host Middlesbrough at Loftus Road on Saturday 5 September at 3pm BST, untelevised live in the UK.

 

Stat Attack

• QPR have lost each of their last five meetings against Middlesbrough (L5).
• Middlesbrough have lost one of their last seven visits to QPR (W3, D3, L1).
• David Strelec and Tommy Conway scored for Middlesbrough in both of their victories over QPR last season (W2), as Boro won 3-1 at home then 4-0 away.
• QPR’s Rumarn Burrell and Ilias Chair have both been involved in three league goals apiece this season, in which they both scored twice and produced one assist.
• Middlesbrough are yet to keep a clean sheet in the league this season.

 

Prediction

Currently in strong form and coming into this game off the back of 2-1 wins over Blackburn and Cardiff, QPR now face probably their first big test of the season against genuine promotion challengers so it is a case of continuing their current play which seem to be working.

Boro meanwhile need to find consistency across both halves because they looked impressively in control in the first half at Burnley yet allowed the Clarets to control the early phase of the second half, which resulted in some poor marking for the hosts’ equaliser.

Loftus Road though has been quite a positive hunting ground for Boro in recent seasons and if they can find that consistency across both halves, they really should win this.

Prediction: QPR 1-2 Middlesbrough