Birmingham City head into Saturday's home fixture against Queens Park Rangers in genuinely encouraging form, but one good run does not make a season, and this match will tell us rather more than the last four have.

Birmingham's bright start raises genuine questions

Seventeen points from 10 Championship matches (W4 D5 L1) represents Birmingham's best start at this level since 2016-17. That is a meaningful benchmark, not a throwaway one. Four draws in those 10 games, however, hint at a side that is learning to avoid defeat more readily than it is learning to win, and caution is warranted before the promotion talk gets too loud.

The home record against QPR at least offers some solid footing. Birmingham have not conceded in any of their past three home league meetings with the visitors (W2 D1), a run that stretches back to a 2-1 defeat in January 2022. Keeping clean sheets in this fixture has become a habit, and with QPR likely to need something from the game, that defensive resilience will be tested properly on Saturday.

QPR arrive with momentum but a familiar problem

Queens Park Rangers ended a streak of four successive draws by beating Derby County 4-1 in midweek, which will have lifted spirits considerably in West London. Four draws in a row away from home is, frankly, the kind of statistic that makes supporters nervous rather than reassured, and QPR have not drawn four successive away league games since November 2010. The win over Derby breaks that sequence, but a single result does not resolve the underlying pattern.

QPR are also trying to avoid losing back-to-back league visits to Birmingham for the first time since October 2008, having gone down 1-0 in this fixture last season. There is genuine historical motivation here for the visitors, even if their away form this term has been more pragmatic than spectacular.

The set-piece angle could decide this one

One statistic about QPR deserves particular attention ahead of kick-off. The visitors have conceded just one goal from set pieces this season, including penalties, which is the joint-fewest in the Championship alongside Sheffield United. They also remain one of only five second-tier clubs yet to concede from a corner. For a Birmingham side that will likely probe for openings in a match that could become tight and attritional, that represents a genuine defensive strength to overcome.

Set pieces are increasingly where Championship matches are decided at this level. If Birmingham are to find a way through, they may need to be more inventive than the routine delivery and hope approach that many sides fall back on.

What each side needs

For Birmingham, the priority is converting a strong home record into three points in a match they are expected to win. Draws have their place in an unbeaten run, but a side with genuine promotion ambitions needs to be taking maximum points at St Andrew's. Five draws in 10 games is a pace that simply will not sustain a top-two challenge over a full 46-game season.

For QPR, a point on the road against a side with this sort of home record would not be a disaster, particularly given their recent away draws. A win, following Tuesday's performance against Derby, would signal that something more meaningful is building. Their defensive solidity from set pieces gives them a platform; the question is whether they can produce at the other end consistently enough to trouble a Birmingham side that has kept three straight clean sheets in this fixture.

Kick-off at St Andrew's is at 15:00 BST on Saturday.

Frequently asked

When do Birmingham City play QPR?
Birmingham City host QPR on Saturday at 15:00 BST.
What is Birmingham City's form ahead of the QPR match?
Birmingham are unbeaten in their last four Championship games and have made their best start at this level since the 2016-17 season, collecting 17 points from their opening 10 matches.
How have QPR been performing away from home this season?
QPR drew each of their last three away league games before beating Derby 4-1 in midweek. They have conceded just one goal from set pieces all season, the joint-fewest in the Championship.