Queens Park Rangers host Watford in a Championship fixture on Sunday as they search for an upturn in fortunes. QPR are struggling at the moment and with the Hornets looking sharp, particularly on their travels, they will be confident of coming out on top at Loftus Road.
It has been a difficult season for QPR so far as they have spent much of the campaign wallowing in the relegation zone. Having already lost 15 times this season, they are currently second from bottom, four points from safety.
Having barely escaped the drop last season, QPR are looking doomed at the moment with things seemingly getting worse. Marti Cifuentes’ men are winless in their last seven matches across all competitions, suffering five defeats in that run.
QPR have also found things difficult in front of their fans this season and head into Sunday’s clash with three straight defeats at Loftus Road. They were beaten 2-1 at home by Cardiff City last time out in the Championship and suffered a 3-2 defeat to Bournemouth in the FA Cup.
In contrast to QPR’s struggles, Watford have reason to be pleased with their overall form as they are unbeaten in eight of their last 10 matches across all competitions. However, hampered by a defence that has failed to keep a clean sheet since November, they have stumbled slightly in the Championship in recent weeks, drawing their last two matches.
Watford were held to a 3-3 draw at Plymouth Argyle last time out in the Championship with Ryan Andrews’ second half effort earning them a share of the spoils. They followed that up with a 2-1 victory over Chesterfield in an FA Cup clash last weekend.
The Hornets will be feeling confident heading to Loftus Road having been particularly impressive on their recent travels. Valentin Ismael’s men are unbeaten in their last four away matches, claiming three wins in that run, including a 5-1 victory at Preston North End.
How the bookies view it
A win for QPR will come as a huge surprise with bet365 booking them to win at 2/1 while a draw is fixed at 9/4 by 888Sport. Watford have the edge among the bookies with Paddy Power placing them at 7/5 to win.
Recent Head to Head
QPR and Watford have 14 wins each and eight draws from 36 previous matches. The Hornets ran out 4-0 winners in the reverse fixture back in October, although QPR earned a 1-0 victory in the last meeting at Loftus Road.
Players to watch
QPR will demand a bit more consistency from Lyndon Dykes if they are to beat the drop once again this season. The striker was on target in the FA Cup defeat to Bournemouth and is priced at 3/1 by bet365 to find the net on Sunday.
Mileta Rajovic was on target in the FA Cup last weekend as he continues a fine debut campaign for Watford. The forward has eight Championship goals this season and is priced at 5/2 with BoyleSports to get on the score sheet on Sunday.
Anything else catches the eye?
QPR and Watford have not been particularly convincing at the back and both teams can be tipped to score at 5/6 with bet365. The Hornets have seen over 3.5 goals in two of their last three away matches and a repeat is priced at 16/5 with Unibet, who is also offering odds of 59/50 for over 2.5 goals.
Watford have opened the scoring in two of their last three matches and could be tipped to grab the first goal on Sunday at 21/20 with BoyleSports.
This England Championship match between Queens Park Rangers and Watford will be played on Jan 14, 2024 and kick off at 12:00. Check below for our tipsters best Queens Park Rangers vs Watford prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
