QPR will be looking to get their first away win in 12 games when they travel to Oakwell this evening to take on Barnsley.

The Tykes currently sit just outside the relegation zone, a position which they'd certainly be happy with come the end of the season after securing promotion through the play-offs last term, and blooding a largely new squad of youngsters together for the new season.

But what can the Hoops expect from their trip to south Yorkshire? We caught up with Doug O'Kane of the Barnsley Chronicle to preview the opposition.

What can QPR expect from Barnsley?

With a very new, inexperienced and young set of players, this was always going to be a difficult start to the season for Barnsley but they are competing well in the majority of games and should have more than seven points from eight games.

With a lot of talented young players, they can break quickly on the counter attack and they can also put good crosses and set pieces in from the wings.

They equalised at Wolves in injury-time on Saturday and then conceded in the 93rd minute.

Overview of transfer business

There has been a huge turnaround of players with 15 players out and 15 in. That is mainly because the majority of the 2016 promotion team has either been sold or they left after their contracts ran out, so replacements have had to be found. Barnsley do not recruit any players over the age of 25 as a rule and, due to having one of the smaller budgets in the division, they have mainly signed players from the lower leagues in England and Scotland while also bringing in two French players this summer.

Results so far this season

They have lost the last three but they were two tough league games against Aston Villa and Wolves as well as a cup match at Spurs. Their performances at home have generally been pretty good, and that was where the two wins have come.

Key players

Adam Hammill has been a real threat in recent matches with his delivery from the right wing and ability to go past players. Joe Williams is a feisty central midfielder on loan from Everton so it should be a good battle between him and Josh Scowen, who was very popular at Barnsley and was in the away end for the cup game at Wembley last week. Tom Bradshaw is the top-scorer with five goals but he is not guaranteed a start as Ike Ugbo and Mamadou Thiam could also play in the loan striker role.

Formation/system?

They have played almost the whole season in a 4-1-4-1 formation with Williams in front of the back four and Brad Potts and George Moncur in front of him in attacking roles.

Team selection

A predicted starting 11 and any notable team news

Andy Yiadom – who came very close to moving to Huddersfield then Swansea in the summer – is still struggling with an injury as are Lloyd Isgrove and Dimitri Cavare.

Predicted team : Davies, McCarthy, Jackson, Lindsay, Pearson, Williams, Hammill Potts Moncur Barnes, Ugbo

Prediction

2-1 Barnsley, as long as they don’t let Scowen dominate and they defend like they have done in their last three away games - not like they did at home to Villa.