Football betting tips: Championship
1pt Wesley Hoedt to score anytime at 17/1 (Betfair, Paddy Power)
After a slack start, Watford’s form has picked up. The Hornets have only lost three times since the beginning of October, they had only won two of their first 12 games.
Valerien Ismael’s side will head to central London in a buoyant mood after scoring two late goals against Chesterfield to edge out the non-league side in the FA Cup last weekend.
Queens Park Rangers may sit in the same league position as when Martí Cifuentes took charge but the Spaniard has had a positive impact at Loftus Road.
They have gone from 0.57 points per game to 1.08 and reduced the gap to safety from seven points to four. Steps in the right direction.
What are the best bets?
There is one chink Cifuentes’ sides armour, they are terrible at defending set pieces.
Nine (yes 9) of the 14 goals they have conceded under the new boss have come via dead ball situations. Bournemouth, Cardiff, Millwall, Southampton, Sheffield Wednesday, Stoke and Rotherham have all benefited and though Cifuentes has tried to address the issue, it could haunt them for a while.
Watford are by no means the strongest set play side in the second tier (6 goals and 7.68 xG) but I cannot resist touting one of their centre backs to find the net on Sunday.
WESLEY HOEDT has scored twice this term, one was from a corner and the other was from deep down town, either would do here.
Odd but his centre back partner, Ryan Porteous, is the shorter price TO SCORE ANYTIME, despite not breaking his Championship duck this season.
BuildABet @ 35/1
- Watford to win
- Wesley Hoedt to score anytime
- Both teams to score
CLICK HERE to back with Sky Bet
You would have to go back 12 games for the last time Watford kept a clean sheet. They have only managed two on the road all term.
Each of QPR’s last two defeats have seen them find the net and they have conceded in eight of 12 under the new boss.
Team news
QPR will be without Ilias Chair and Steve Cook on Sunday, the pair have made 41 appearances between them in the league but missed the last two games.
Jimmy Dunne has plugged the gap in central defence and Sinclair Armstrong could come into a three man attack alongside Lyndon Dykes and Paul Smyth.
As for Watford, Vakoun Bayo is back available after serving his suspension and the Ivorian is expected to spearhead the visitors frontline, flanked by Matheus Martins and Giorgi Chakvetadza.
Predicted line-ups
QPR: Begovic; Cannon, Clarke-Salter, Dunne, Paal; Dixon-Bonner, Field, Dozzell; Smyth, Dykes, Armstrong
Watford: Hamer; Andrews, Hoedt, Porteous, Morris; Dele-Bashiru, Livermore, Kone; Martins, Bayo, Chakvetadze
Match Facts
- QPR have only lost three of their last 27 home league games against Watford – in two of those seasons, the Hornets won promotion (1998-99 and 2005-06).
- Watford are looking for their first league double over QPR since the 2005-06 campaign under Aidy Boothroyd.
- Since the last date Queens Park Rangers were top of the Championship table (October 24th, 2022), the Hoops have lost the most games in the division (33) and only Rotherham United (93) have shipped more goals than they have (91). In those 56 games since then, the Hoops have a win percentage of 16% (9 wins) and have picked up a mere 0.73 points per game (41 in 56 games).
- Watford’s last four away league games have seen 18 goals scored, with both sides finding the net in each game. Indeed, since the start of December, the Hornets have scored four more away goals than any other Championship side (12).
- Among players to play 500 minutes in the Championship this season, Watford’s Giorgi Chakvetadze has created the most chances per 90 minutes (3.6), creating four and registering an assist in their 3-3 draw with Plymouth on New Year’s Day.
Odds correct at 1100 GMT (12/01/24)
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