QPR vs Burnley prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2022-12-10 13:00.
Back in mid October, QPR’s 2-1 victory over Wigan left them sitting pretty atop the Championship table and their prospects of ending an eight-season stay in the second tier were looking up. Fast forward almost two months however, and the picture is a lot bleaker even though QPR are sitting in the play-off spots coming into the weekend. The struggling R’s are winless in five league games (D1, L4) and now managerless after Michael Beale swapped Queens Park Rangers for Glasgow Rangers.
Several names have been linked with the vacant post, but Paul Hall is in interim charge and faces a baptism of fire against a Burnley side who top the league table ahead of the round. He’ll feel confident in avoiding a losing start, with QPR unbeaten in the last five home H2Hs, but with four of those ending level (W1) arresting a winless league run could be beyond his side.
For Burnley, the World Cup break probably couldn’t have come at a worse time, with the Clarets temporarily halting their campaign on the back of a thumping 3-0 victory against bitter rivals Blackburn Rovers. That win was enough to see Vincent Kompany’s side enter the break with a three-point cushion at the top of the table, but the Premier League hall of famer will be under no illusions that his side are guaranteed to be there come May.
Kompany had spoken of wanting to be “around the play-off places” when returning to action after the World Cup, so to sit comfortably inside the top-six sees Burnley ahead of schedule. It’s hard to find many areas for the in-form Clarets to improve upon, but away form perhaps would be one, with Burnley winning just two of their last seven away league outings (D4, L1), something that could yet destabilise their promotion bid if they’re not wary.
Players to watch: QPR may look to Chris Willock for inspiration given he’s found the net in five of their nine league wins this season. Similarly influential for Burnley, Manuel Benson has clocked up four goals in his last six Championship appearances, though three of those came from the bench.
Hot stat: QPR’s ten home league matches this season have averaged two first-half goals per game.