A massive game with relegation implications comes to us today from Villa Park as a pair of teams with threatened futures square off at 2:45pm ET live on NBCSN or live online at NBC Sports Live Extra.
Aston Villa, just three points above the drop zone in 17th, welcomes 19th-placed Queens Park Rangers. The winner of today’s match will find themselves outside the bottom three, while the loser will find themselves on high alert.
WATCH LIVE: Aston Villa vs QPR live on NBC Sports Live Extra
Tim Sherwood will have to find a way to collect vital points at home knowing he has a less than full strength lineup. Defender Alan Hutton is out with an ankle injury, and creative minds Scott Sinclair and Ashley Westwood both miss out with hamstring problems, which will prove a major hole to fill for a team already severely lacking in creative talent.
[ MORE: Full ProSoccerTalk preview of Aston Villa vs QPR ]
QPR has its own injury problems. Eduardo Vargas will be out the rest of the season after requiring knee surgery for a knock he picked up against West Brom, a devastating blow to the Londoners’ attacking force.
LINEUPS
Aston Villa: Guzan, Bacuna, Vlaar, Clark, Richardson, Cleverley, Delph, Sanchez, Grealish, Agbonlahor, Benteke.
Bench: Given, Baker, Okore, Weimann, Cole, N’Zogbia, Lowton.
Queens Park Rangers: Green; Isla, Onuoha, Caulker, Hill; Phillips, Sandro, Barton, Kranjcar; Austin, Zamora.
Bench: McCarthy, Traore, Henry, Hoilett, Mitchell, Doughty, Grego-Cox
