Why West Brom and Leicester City will love QPR right now | OneFootball

West Bromwich Albion and Leicester City will both be thrilled by Queens Park Rangers' 6-1 thrashing of Portsmouth

West Bromwich Albion and Leicester City have both headed into the March international break with their respective Championship futures very much in the balance.

The Foxes are currently in the relegation zone with just seven fixtures remaining, whereas West Brom sit four points above the bottom three, having also played 39 games.

Leicester were held to a 0-0 draw at Watford on Saturday, as Patson Daka's penalty miss proved to be a decisive moment at Vicarage Road, while the Baggies successfully defeated Bristol City 1-0.

West Brom have now enjoyed a four-game unbeaten streak in the Championship, and have heavily bolstered their survival chances with successive wins over Hull City and the Robins.

In contrast, Gary Rowett's men have earned just one league win since defeating the Baggies on 5 January, but they would be above the relegation zone if they hadn't been deducted six points.

Leicester City and West Brom will be delighted by major Queens Park Rangers development

West Brom and Leicester must first look after their own results to beat the drop to League One, but scorelines elsewhere may also prove decisive in their relegation battle.

With that in mind, both James Morrison's men and Rowett's side will have been delighted to see that relegation rivals Portsmouth were hammered 6-1 by Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road on Saturday.

That result leaves Pompey 21st in the Championship, sandwiched between the Foxes and the Baggies.

Another favourable development for both Leicester and West Brom was that 23rd-place Oxford United were beaten 2-0 by Southampton, which ended a four-game unbeaten run that had included victories over Albion, Preston North End, and Blackburn Rovers.

But Rowett's men and Morrison's side will be most grateful for what QPR did in their last match before the international break, as a 6-1 defeat may have derailed any confidence Portsmouth still had.

The Fratton Park club have now failed to win any of their last six Championship games, and their woeful run bolsters the survival chances of both West Brom and Leicester.

Pompey already appeared set to struggle in their Good Friday fixture against in-form Norwich City, and their 6-1 thrashing at QPR has only increased their chances of yet another defeat.

Leicester City have one key advantage over West Brom in Championship relegation battle

Portsmouth's dismal form could play a key role in both Leicester and West Brom's survival efforts, but the Midlands clubs first have to look after their own results.

With that in mind, the Baggies' Easter fixtures are intriguing, as they face play-off chasers Wrexham on Good Friday, and fellow relegation battlers Blackburn Rovers on Easter Monday.

The Foxes' Easter fixtures are more favourable than Albion's, as they take on mid-table club Preston North End before travelling to already relegated Sheffield Wednesday.

Leicester and West Brom will be equally interested in Oxford's trip to Portsmouth on 6 April, but they must both earn positive results in their respective run-ins.

With that in mind, the Foxes hold a significant advantage over the Baggies because Rowett is a highly experienced Championship manager, whereas Morrison has been placed in charge at The Hawthorns on an interim basis, having never permanently taken charge of any club.