Town have made seven changes for this evening’s final game of 2023 at home against QPR with Leif Davis and Wes Burns joining George Hirst and suspended skipper Sam Morsy out of the squad.

Vaclav Hladky continues in goal with Brandon Williams returning at right-back, Cameron Humphreys making his first Championship start at left-back and Luke Woolfenden and Cameron Burgess the centre-halves.

In Morsy’s absence, former QPR man Massimo Luongo captains from central midfield alongside another ex-R Dom Ball.

Ahead of them, Omari Hutchinson is on the right and Conor Chaplin in the middle with Nathan Broadhead back on the left. Freddie Ladapo is the central striker.

Davis has picked up a knock, while Burns is ill with Hirst out with his hamstring injury and Morsy due to his one-match ban for speaking out of turn to the referee after the 2-0 win at Middlesbrough.

Of those who started the 1-1 draw with Leicester on Boxing Day, Harry Clarke, Jack Taylor and Marcus Harness are on the bench.

Also among the subs are Sone Aluko and George Edmundson, while U21s striker Gerrard Buabo, 18, is on the first-team bench in the league for the first time.

QPR make five changes from the team which lost 2-0 at Millwall on Boxing Day with Reggie Cannon, Steve Cook, Chris Willock, Elijah Dixon-Bonner and Sinclair Armstrong coming into the XI.

Former Blues loan keeper Asmir Begovic skippers, while ex-Town midfielder Andre Dozzell also starts.

Town: Hladky, Williams, Woolfenden, Burgess, Humphreys, Luongo (c), Ball, Hutchinson, Chaplin, Broadhead, Ladapo. Subs: Walton, Clarke, Edmundson, Harness, Taylor, Jackson, Aluko, Tuanzebe, Buabo.

QPR: Begovic (c), Cook, Clarke-Salter, Willock, Field, Chair, Dozzell, Dixon-Bonner, Cannon, Paal, Armstrong. Subs: Archer, Kakay, Dunne, Dykes, Smyth, Larkeche, Drewe, Adomah, Kolli. Referee: David Webb (Lancashire).

Photo: Matchday Images

Powrigan added 19:08 - Dec 29 7 changes!! GULP!!
2

rkl added 19:11 - Dec 29 Well, at least Edmundson is not starting
-5

TimmyH added 19:12 - Dec 29 Blimey!...that many? midfield now looks a lot weaker, almost like an early League Cup game with those changes which worries me. Hopefully we'll get the result! COYB!
2

TimmyH added 19:17 - Dec 29 rkl - as our central defenders have been really solid of late!
2

blueboy1981 added 19:21 - Dec 29 …… and with Southampton reeling us in …. ??
0

OliveR16 added 19:22 - Dec 29 Not sure this line up shows QPR the respect they deserve. Players out of position and rusty - if this comes back to bite us we only have ourselves to blame.
2

carlo88 added 19:23 - Dec 29 Attack looks good, midfield, gulp?
1

SickParrot added 19:23 - Dec 29 What rotten luck to lose Davis and Burns when Morsy and Hirst are already out. Still suprised that Ball is playing though. I would've expected Taylor to come in for Morsy. I would also have expected Williams to replace Davis and Clarke to stay at right back. However, KM knows best and hopefully we can still get the three points despite all the enforced changes.
2

blueboy1981 added 19:23 - Dec 29 ….. Harness had to start - surely ??
1

peteswindon added 19:24 - Dec 29 Just keep Clarke away from the team
-4

SickParrot added 19:30 - Dec 29 BBC think Ball is right back, Williams left back and Humphreys in midfield. If so, even more surprised that Clarke is not playing.
3

rugbytomc added 19:38 - Dec 29 Seems more likely the bbc line up I think but hey we'll see what happens! It’s squad time and to be honest-luongo, Chaplin, broadhead, Hutchinson, ladapo based attack should be a threat!
0

TimmyH added 19:41 - Dec 29 Broadhurst just pulled up in the warm-up...so almost a whole team changed.
0

blueboy1981 added 19:41 - Dec 29 Broadhead now Injured in the Warm Up !!!
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Len_Brennan added 19:41 - Dec 29 All the changes, including Buabo on the bench, might be seen as a call to the owners to really back the club in tbe January transfer window. Suddenly the squad looks very vulnerable tonight.
3

TimmyH added 19:42 - Dec 29 'Broadhead'...
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SickParrot added 19:44 - Dec 29 Now Broadhead out too? FFS!
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blueboy1981 added 19:59 - Dec 29 Len Brennan - Valid point, but the Jan’ Window is never very productive, therefore expecting little if anything, to be honest !
0

Steve_ITFC_Sweden added 00:10 - Dec 30 Changes forced upon us cos of illness and injury - not by choice.
1

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