John Eustace sends clear QPR warning to his Birmingham City side | OneFootball

Birmingham City boss John Eustace has warned his side that Queens Park Rangers will provide them with a difficult test tonight, speaking to Blues' media team.

Coming into this clash, the Midlands outfit will be desperate to get a win under their belt after claiming no points in their past two games.

Losing 2-0 against Watford, they then suffered a 2-1 defeat against Preston North End in midweek, with a freak own goal playing a big part in the Lilywhites' victory.

Considering two Birmingham players were going for the same ball for the own goal, it could be argued that they were their own worst enemy at Deepdale but they can't be too harsh on themselves, having made an excellent start to the season.

Claiming 11 points from their opening seven league games, they are currently sitting in eighth position and could force their way back into the promotion mix with a win tonight, something that would be a great achievement considering they have struggled down at the bottom end of the Championship in recent seasons.

With a new owner and several high-quality players arriving in the summer though, the Midlands side will be hoping to enjoy a more successful season and they have a good chance to secure another three points.

Are Birmingham City heavy favourites against QPR tonight?

QPR haven't made the best start to the season, but that's perhaps to be expected considering they struggled last season.

However, relegation won't be seen as acceptable and the fact they are currently in 20th place isn't ideal for them.

They may be above the dotted line at this stage - but it wouldn't be a surprise to see Middlesbrough's form improve imminently considering the players they have at their disposal.

And with the R's collecting just seven points from seven games, Birmingham have to be seen as the favourites ahead of this game, especially with this evening's clash taking place at St Andrew's.

What did John Eustace say about QPR?

Despite the R's average start to the season, many Birmingham fans will be forgiven for thinking that their team are almost certain to win tonight.

But Eustace, who previously worked as a coach at Loftus Road, believes tonight's assignment will be a tough one for his team.

He said: "QPR are a difficult team to play against, they have got a lot of experienced Championship players, Chris Willock, Ilias Chair, Lyndon Dykes, Sam Field, Steve Cook - lots of experience, lots of top quality in that team.

"So we know it is going to be a difficult game on Friday night but one we are looking forward to."

How difficult will tonight's game be for Birmingham City?

Tonight won't be easy for Blues and QPR's 2-0 away win at Middlesbrough reinforces that.

Ainsworth puts results ahead of style and if it wasn't for Jack Colback's red card against Sunderland, they may have won against the Black Cats.

It will certainly be a tough test for the Midlands club - but you feel they need to be winning these types of games if they want to be in the promotion mix.

That isn't disrespectful to the R's - but with Ainsworth mainly just aiming for survival this term - Birmingham can't afford to be losing.