da poker： QPR and West Brom meet for the first time in the Premier League with both teams desperate to maintain their mid-table position after suffering disappointing defeats last week.
da imperador bet： Neil Warnock’s Rangers men were beaten in a close game with fellow promoted side Norwich at Carrow Road last Saturday failing to build on their impressive win over Stoke seven days prior. It’s been a good start to life back in the Premier League for the R’s who sit pretty in 11th after being tipped to struggle after spending 15-years out of the top flight. The late recruitment drive from Warnock at the end of the transfer window bolstered the squad with some much needed experience from the likes of Joey Barton and Luke Young. Their influence and knowledge has proved invaluable in such a short space of time with the West Londoners already picking up some memorable results with the win in the Potteries and their victory over Chelsea ones that stick in the memory. However that win over the Blues stands as their only home success of the season with their form at Loftus Road a constant worry for Warnock with performances on their own turf proving to be drab. It’s a mystery as to why Rangers perform so poorly on their own turf with with three draws and two defeats from their six games at home not good enough if you want to stay in the top flight. Goals have been hard to come by at Loftus Road with a measly return of five goals at Loftus Road giving supporters hardly anything to celebrate. Summer signing Jay Bothroyd has struggled to make the step up to the Premier League despite scoring goals for fun in the Championship with Cardiff last season. It’s a problem that will need to be addressed with games against Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal on the horizon.
West Brom have a similar problem to their hosts with goals coming in short supply this season despite possessing a strike force of Shane Long and Peter Odemwingie. The latter has been out injured for most of the season and when he has stepped out for the Baggies he’s looked a shadow of the player that took the Premier League by storm last season. Long, on the other hands, has weighed in with his fair share of goals scoring four times as he continues his top flight education following his record breaking move from Reading in the summer. However boss Roy Hodgson will be unhappy with his side after they threw their lead away at home to Tottenham last week before going onto lose 3-1 dropping to 14th in the table having started the day in 10th. The Baggies have been frustratingly inconsistent this season losing or drawing very winnable games despite easily beating Aston Villa away and Bolton at home in the last month. Scoring goals is the main issue at the moment with Albion finding the net just 12 times in 13 games this season. Creating chances has never been a problem for them with James Morison, Jerome Thomas and Chris Brunt in midfield although the latter was the main culprit blazing a glorious opportunity over the bar against Spurs. The old adage of ‘goals win games’ comes into play and if West Brom could take half of the chances they create then they wouldn’t be sitting just five points above the drop zone. Despite that their form on the road is one of the big positives of their season so far and they’ll be confident of getting something out of QPR having won two and drawn three of their games away from the Hawthorns.
QPR – 11th
Last Five: Lost 2-1 v Norwich (A), Won 3-2 v Stoke (A), Lost 3-2 v Man City (H), Lost 3-1 v Tottenham (A), Won 1-0 v Chelsea (H)
Potential Starting X11: 24. R. Cerny 18. L. Young 35. A. Ferdinand 6. D. Gabbidon 3. C. Hill 11. A. Faurlin 4. S. Derry 7. J. Barton[C] 10. J. Mackie 32. S. Wright-Phillips* 10. J. Bothroyd
Injury News: Warnock has been dealt a serious injury blow with key players Paddy Kenny and Heidar Helguson joining Matt Connolly, DJ Campbell, Kieron Dyer and Rob Hulse in the Loftus Road treatment room.
Key Player: Shaun Wright-Phillips
The former Manchester City winger has become an essential part of the QPR side in such a short space of time since moving to Loftus Road at the end of August. His pace and directness gives the R’s an outlet every time they go forward whether it’s chasing a ball over the top or beating a man one-on-one. He’ll be expected to get at West Brom at every opportunity when they meet on Saturday.
Match Fact: Despite meeting each other 31 times in over 60 years QPR and West Brom have never contested a Premier League fixture. Their last encounter came in March 2010 with the R’s coming out on top with a 2-1 victory against the Baggies who finished runners-up in the Championship a few months later.
West Brom – 14th
Last Five: Lost 3-1 v Tottenham (H), Won 2-0 v Bolton (H), Lost 3-0 v Arsenal (A), Lost 2-0 v Liverpool (H), Won 2-1 v Aston Villa (A)
Potential Starting X11: 1. B. Foster 12. S. Reid 3. J. Olsson 33. P. Scharner 20. N. Shorey 14. J. Thomas 21. Y. Mulumbu 7. J. Morrison 11. C. Brunt[C] 5. S. Tchoyi 9. S. Long*
Injury News: Albion lost Zoltan Gera to a serious knee injury last week and it looks likely that the Hungarian playmaker could be out for the rest of the season.
Key Player: Shane Long
Despite scoring just two goals in his last nine games the Republic of Ireland striker has become a key player for the Baggies since his move from Reading. His tendency to play on the shoulder of the last defender and intelligent movement give West Brom’s creative midfield something to aim at which will come in handy against a relatively sturdy QPR defence.
Match Fact: The Baggies were victorious on their first ever trip to Loftus Road in 1948 winning 2-0. However their last 10 visits to West London have yielded just three wins, one draw and six defeats and with their last victory coming in 2008.
Last Time at Loftus Road
Championship
QPR 3-1 West Brom
Simpson, 13 Connolly, 18 Buszaky, 67
Brunt, 36
Attendance: 14,578
Referee: Stuart Attwell
PREDICTION
Both teams are frighteningly inconsistent and struggling to score goals on a consistent basis which is alarming going into the hectic festive schedule. QPR have struggled to get going at home this season and will need to start wining games at Loftus Road if they are to maintain their lofty mid-table position. West Brom have similar problems although their form on the road has kept them well away from the relegation zone. A win for either side could spur them onto better things although a draw is the likely outcome.
Score: 1-1
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