QPR vs Preston North End: Betting Odds & Prediction
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Relegation-threatened QPR host mid-table Preston North End in the Sky Bet Championship on Saturday afternoon.
The hosts sit just three points above the relegation zone with three matches remaining, while the away side's play-off ambitions are all but over after a recent run of poor form. Kick-off is set for 3pm UK time at Loftus Road.
Recent Form
QPR
Marti Cifuentes' men remain in danger of dropping down to League One unless they're able to maintain distance between themselves and the dreaded drop zone between now and May. Back-to-back victories against Birmingham City and Swansea gave QPR fans reason for optimism at the end of March and beginning of April, but their failure to win in the three games that have followed have plunged them back into the relegation dogfight.
Their poor record at Loftus Road has played a major part in their disappointing season; they've averaged just one point across their 21 home matches so far, including two losses in their last five outings. Only relegated Rotherham United have a worse record at home in the Championship.
Their 1.1 goals scored in these fixtures is problematic enough, but their leaky defence has seen a worrying average of 1.52 goals conceded at the other end of the pitch. Only 19% of their home games have ended in a clean sheet, and QPR have shipped two or more goals in 52%.
Preston North End
The visitors are hardly in great form themselves; Preston have one just once in their last five outings in the Championship and failed to score in four of them. Consecutive losses to Norwich City (1-0) and Southampton (3-0) have wiped out any hopes of securing a spot in the play-offs, though Ryan Lowe's men remain hopeful of a second successive top-half finish.
Though hardly setting the world alight, Preston's form on the road is better than QPR's on home soil, with the Lily Whites averaging 1.24 points across their 21 away fixtures so far. They have failed to register a win in their last three away outings though, and are in danger of a drop in performance with little to play for between now and the season's end.
A failure to score in 38% of their away matches has cost Lowe's men dearly, while only 33% of these games have ended in a Preston clean sheet.
Prediction
The match is a difficult one to predict given QPR's poor home record and Preston having little to play for as we enter the final few weeks of the season. QPR have shown positive signs in recent weeks with the victories over Birmingham and Swansea, and while their games since have been far from convincing, OddsNow back the hosts to secure three more vital points in West London this weekend.