QPR host fellow play-off contenders Stoke in the Sky Bet Championship on Sunday. EFL expert Michael Beardmore has a preview and two best bets.
Football betting tips: Championship
1pt QPR to win at 7/5 (General)
1pt Stoke 30+ booking points at 11/8 (Sky Bet)
In the six seasons since QPR finished bottom of the Premier League and the three campaigns since Stoke dropped down, promotion pushes have been virtually non-existent for both.
Could this be the year that all changes? Judging on the start each side have made to their Sky Bet Championship seasons, there’s every chance.
After years of mid-table mediocrity, Rangers fans would have bitten your hand off for a play-off push but they might even be dreaming of a tilt at the automatic places too.
Stoke, meanwhile, seem to have finally found their feet again after finishes of 16th, 15th and 14th, with Michael O’Neill’s patient rebuild showing signs of reaping its rewards.
The Potters, though, have endured a slight dip in recent weeks, losing five of their past nine league games, albeit with a three-match winning run sandwiched amid that blip.
It is surely no coincidence that sequence has largely coincided with the absence of playmaker and joint leading scorer Nick Powell through injury – and he’s unlikely to return in time for this one.
QPR, meanwhile, have won seven of their past 11, including five of their last six at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium.
With Powell out (and Sam Clucas still absent too), Stoke’s away form very much mid-table in general – 11 points from 30 on the road – and Rangers so strong at home, QPR TO WIN at a very, very generous 7/5 has to be the play here.
A subplot to Stoke’s recent troubles – perhaps, frustration bubbling too easily to the surface – has been their ascendance to the top of the Championship’s ‘Bad Boys’ table.
The Potters have accrued 48 yellow cards and three reds this season, marking them as the most ill-disciplined side in the division.
But a lot of those have come in recent weeks. In their past six matches, the Potters have racked up the following booking points: 30, 50, 50, 75, 45, 40. More cards than Paul Daniels.
Whether it’s frustration at being behind or aggression in protecting a lead, Stoke are prone to an entry in the referee’s notebook making 30+ STOKE BOOKING POINTS a potential steal at 11/8 with Sky Bet.
The appointment of referee Tony Harrington – who is averaging more than four yellows per game this term and dished out five reds last season – only adds to the belief that price is far too large.
QPR v Stoke score prediction and best bets
- 1pt QPR to win at 7/5 (General)
- 1pt Stoke 30+ booking points at 11/8 (Sky Bet)
Score prediction: QPR 2-0 Stoke (Sky Bet odds: 10/1)
Odds correct at 1620 GMT (03/12/21)
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