Birmingham City face QPR this afternoon as they look to record a first win at home first win since October.

That dismal run is a key factor as to why Blues are currently battling relegation, although they will have taken encouragement from the win at Sheffield Wednesday last week, and the performance against leaders Norwich on Tuesday.

The focus for Aitor Karanka will be on the R's now though, and the Spaniard will have some big decisions to make ahead of the game.

Here we look at a few dilemmas facing the boss...

Who to replace Ivan Sanchez

As well as the defeat to Norwich, Blues were hit with a blow that winger Sanchez was forced off with a groin injury.

Whilst he hasn't been ruled out just yet, the quick turnaround in fixtures suggests that it's unlikely the wide man is going to feature this afternoon.

Jonathan Leko and Alen Halilovic could replace Sanchez, but he will be missed.

Whether to rotate

The only focus for the boss is on getting three points this afternoon, but he also has to have one eye on the busy schedule his side have.

This is the first of six games up until March 20th, which is three weeks away. Clearly, he won't be able to pick the same XI for every game, so he may have to consider rotating and looking ahead, starting this afternoon.

Even though Blues don't have the biggest squad, there are options available to the boss.

Should he start with two up top

It made sense to play with just Scott Hogan against Norwich, but Blues may need to show more attacking intent against QPR, where they may not be able to counter-attack so easily.

Therefore, Karanka may consider getting two strikers on the pitch, with Lukas Jutkiewicz available to partner Hogan. Sam Cosgrove would be another option if he is match fit.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.