QPR vs Stoke prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2022-09-16 14:00.
Just four points separated Queens Park Rangers and Stoke City at the conclusion of the previous Championship campaign, and it’s been much of the same this season with both sides loitering in mid-table, separated by just three points. They each come into this clash on the back of strong away victories, but QPR’s wins over Watford and Hull in late August was the only occasion that either club produced the same result in back-to-back Championship matches, and at least one team will again fail in trying to build momentum here.
QPR appear likely to be at their most threatening in the opening 45 minutes, with all seven of their home Championship goals so far recorded prior to the half-time break. Converting all four of their opening goals (home or away) into victories will be encouraging for manager Michael Beale, particularly after predecessor Mark Warburton oversaw the club forfeit two half-time leads into eventual losses from their last five home games of the 2021/22 campaign.
Stoke’s inferior finish to QPR last season came despite them defeating the Hoops twice (2-0 away and 1-0 home), so it may not surprise to see them rise to the occasion again despite collecting just three wins throughout this Championship season so far (D2, L4). New manager Alex Neil is already making some exciting progress, recently securing Stoke’s second away league win on a Tuesday night from 27 attempts!
Their three clean sheets in this campaign have also been accompanied by victories, so another here could well be the recipe for success. Not conceding early goals is a key area of improvement for Neil who recently publicly reminded his players that falling behind early “doesn't help with confidence and it doesn't do anything for momentum”. To affirm that point, he can point to Stoke’s fixtures so far which have seen the team that scored first avoid defeat on each occasion (W7, D2).
Players to watch: QPR’s Chris Willock has been on the scoresheet in all four of QPR’s Championship victories, three of them before half-time. In fact, his last 27 goalscoring appearances for any club have earned 23 wins and four draws! On a similar note, Lewis Baker opened the scoring within half an hour in Stoke’s two Championship away victories.
Hot stat: The pre-match favourite has won just one-third of Championship matches (W6, D4, L8) involving either club this season.