Saturday Football Accumulator

Two teams just above the relegation zone in the Premier League have home matches that should allow them to put breathing space between them and the dreaded dotted line on Saturday. Meanwhile, the form team in the Championship can really shake up the promotion race with a seventh consecutive victory. Back QPR, WBA and Birmingham to win at best odds of 8/1 with Betfred.

A few weeks ago it would have been hard to back QPR to beat Wolves with any real conviction. Now, with an exciting new strike force for a new manager, the future looks much brighter at Loftus Road. Mark Hughes will ultimately be pleased with the 2-2 draw at Villa Park despite his side surrendering a two-goal advantage. As it followed on from a 3-1 victory over Wigan, form is still much improved.

Djibril Cisse scored on his debut and he will probably line-up alongside fellow new recruit Bobby Zamora on Saturday. The former Fulham star is potentially one of the best signings in many years for the Hoops, and the partnership could be explosive. What Mick McCarthy would give for such an injection of new blood as he finds his own job on the line. The abject display against Liverpool in midweek provoked fury from fans and chairman alike. He may need a miracle to turn things round quickly.

Next up I’m taking West Brom to finally come good at the Hawthornes and beat a Swansea side who continue to struggle on their travels. I suspect that the heroic performance against Chelsea, and the agonising last-gasp equaliser against them, will have taken a lot out of the Welsh side.

You can’t help thinking that it’s a matter of time before Roy Hodgson translates away form comparable with a top six side into something respectable at home. The 2-1 victory at Stoke followed by a 1-1 draw at Fulham represents decent league form for the Baggies. They should bring that confidence home for the weekend.

In the Championship we simply look to Birmingham City to keep their irresistible run going. The Blues are on stunning form with six wins on the bounce in all competitions. But they aren’t just winning; the last five outings have included victories by huge margins - 0-6, 3-0, 0-4 and 1-4. Chris Hughton has seen his play-off hopefuls turn into genuine automatic promotion contenders.

Just five points behind opponents Southampton with a game-in-hand, the Saints must fear for their hopes of retaining second spot. Nigel Adkins’ team are enduring a sticky patch having won just two of their last nine league clashes. Anything but a home win would be surprising.