STAR PREVIEW: QPR v Brentford

This has been an entertaining weekend in the Championship which is full of Derbies and we might end with a bang as Queens Park Rangers face Brentford this evening.

Rangers are eighth and Brentford 13th but both sides have plenty to play for. Indeed, Rangers are top of the form table, with Brentford fifth, and the overall Championship picture is incredibly tight. West Brom are leading with 27 points but Derby County, all the way down in 16th, are just nine points behind them and it’s not an understatement to suggest that there are 16 teams in with a realistic shot at promotion, if not the title.

Brentford are favourites despite being behind QPR in the table, probably due to a couple of impressive victories in the last week or so. They came from 2-0 down to beat Millwall 3-2 last weekend with goals from Josh Da Silva, Bryan Mbuemo and a 90th minute winner from Ollie Watkins before they were even more impressive in beating Swansea 3-0 on Tuesday.

It was no mean feat to beat the Swans – who are lying fourth after a 1-0 victory over Cardiff yesterday – at their own place, but to do so 3-0 with a performance of such control was a major statement of intent which shows the potential Brentford have.

QPR v Brentford
Championship
19:45 Sky Sports Football / Sky Sports Main Event / Sky Sports Ultra HD

HEAD TO HEAD RECORD
(Maximum 10 matches, since 2000)
MAR 2019 CHAMPIONSHIP Brentford 3-0 QPR
NOV 2018 CHAMPIONSHIP QPR 3-2 Brentford
APR 2018 CHAMPIONSHIP Brentford 2-1 QPR
NOV 2017 CHAMPIONSHIP QPR 2-2 Brentford
AUG 2017 EFL CUP QPR 1-4 Brentford
APR 2017 CHAMPIONSHIP Brentford 3-1 QPR
OCT 2016 CHAMPIONSHIP QPR 0-2 Brentford
MAR 2016 CHAMPIONSHIP QPR 3-0 Brentford
OCT 2015 CHAMPIONSHIP Brentford 1-0 QPR

QPR, following a full-scale makeover from Mark Warburton, have transformed themselves into a club that’s playing exciting football and they are just bursting with goal threats. It’s a shame for Warburton that he doesn’t have Jordan Hugill available to him thanks to suspension but that will not prevent them from being a threat – they have scored 23 goals, the joint third most of any side, and in the shape of Eberechi Eze and Ilias Chair they have two of the division’s trickiest midfielders while Nahki Wells provides a goal threat in Hugill’s absence.

Wells has eight goals and two assists in the Championship so far whilst Eberechi Eze is not far behind with six goals and three assists, and both will be a major threat for the Brentford defence.

These are two tightly matched sides, and any of the three match outcomes could be seen as a realistic choice. A bet on over 2.5 goals makes more appeal than any of them; QPR have conceded in every home game this season and have shipped at least two goals in each of their last five matches at Loftus Road, and Brentford have seen 10 out of their 13 games end with 3 or more goals.

RECOMMENDED BETS (scale of 1-100 points)
BACK OVER 2.5 GOALS 5 pt at 4/5 with starsports.bet

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