Sheffield United continue their pursuit of Championship leaders Burnley as they travel to QPR on Monday. The Blades have been near-perfect in recent weeks and should have too much for QPR, who are struggling to find their best form.
QPR are coming off a 3-0 home defeat to Luton Town in their previous Championship fixture. They failed to make their superior possession count and were poor in the final third, finishing with just two attempts on target.
The result means QPR have now claimed just one win in their last four matches, suffering two defeats in that run. They have slipped into the bottom half of the table but somehow remain just one point off the playoff places.
One problem for manager Neil Critchley to ponder about is QPR’s recent home form. They have lost their last four matches at Loftus Road, conceding nine goals in that run while also scoring just once.
Sheffield United have looked almost unstoppable in recent times and travel to Loftus Road with eight wins from their last nine matches. They are still second on the table, three points off the pace and will be keen to maintain the pressure on leaders Burnley.
The Blades claimed a 2-1 victory at Blackpool in their previous Championship fixture. They raced to a two-goal lead through Sander Berge and James McAtee and were able to hold on for the win despite the hosts pulling one back.
The result at Blackpool is an extension of Sheffield United’s excellent form on their recent travels. Paul Heckingbottom’s men have won their last five Championship matches on the road, conceding just two goals in the run.
How the bookies view it
Sheffield United have the edge among the bookies and are priced at 39/29 by SBK to claim the win. A victory for QPR is valued at 11/5 by Unibet while a draw is set at odds of 27/11 by SBK.
Head to head
Sheffield United have a 16-14 edge with 16 draws from 46 previous matches with QPR. Rangers claimed a 2-1 victory in the reverse fixture back in October but Sheffield had won the previous five meetings, including a 3-1 victory in the most recent clash at Loftus Road.
Players to watch
QPR have struggled in attack and will be hoping for some spark from Chris Willock, who is their joint top scorer with six goals. The forward's last goal in the Championship was in the reverse fixture against Sheffield United and could be backed to find the net on Monday at 9/2 with bet365.
Sheffield United have multiple attacking threats but Iliman Ndiaye could be worth keeping an eye on as he looks to add to his tally of nine Championship goals. The forward was also on target in the last meeting at Loftus Road and is priced at 10/3 by bet365 to get on the score sheet on Monday.
Anything else catch the eye?
The last meeting at Loftus Road produced over 3.5 goals and a similar outcome is valued at 3/1 by bet365. Over 2.5 goals could also be considered at 23/20 with Unibet while both teams could be backed to score at 17/20 with William Hill.
Sheffield United have opened the scoring in their last five Championship matches and could be tipped to score first on Monday at 10/11 with Coral.
This England Championship match between QPR and Sheffield United will be played on Jan 2, 2023 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best QPR vs Sheffield United prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
