Sunderland vs QPR prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2022-08-12 14:00.
Sunderland are making the most of life back in the Championship, with a draw on the opening day followed up by a thrilling 3-2 win over Bristol City in round two – they opened the scoring in both games within the first 15 minutes. Although it was across two different divisions, those results mean Alex Neil’s men have extended their unbeaten run to 18 straight league matches (W11, D7).
A big part of the Black Cats’ incredible run has been their defensive efforts, especially at home where they have restricted their opponents to a goal or less in each of their last five home games. The Stadium of Light faithful will now invite Queens Park Rangers to try break their side’s streak, a tough task, considering Sunderland have lost only once in the last eight home H2H matches (W3, D4).
QPR were involved in their own 3-2 thriller in their last league outing, fending off a late Middlesbrough comeback to claim their first three points of the season. The Hoops weren’t able to replicate that sentiment in midweek EFL Cup action though, conceding a 90th minute equaliser to eventually lose on penalties to League One’s Charlton Athletic.
New manager Michael Beale is focusing on the positives though, declaring his team will “stay under the radar and just keep working” following the Middlesbrough game. His optimism needs to translate to improved form on the road though, with the 1-0 loss at Blackburn on the opening day being indicative of QPR's away form, having now lost ten of their last 13 matches on their travels, scoring just once across the last three of the games in that run.
Players to watch: Sunderland’s new recruit Ellis Simms made himself an instant fan favourite by netting a brace against Bristol, with five of his last seven goalscoring outings seeing him score the match opener. For QPR, Chris Willock returned from injury with a goal against Middlesbrough, but five of his last eight goals have come away from home.
Hot stat: QPR have seen only three of their last 19 away matches be decided by a 2+ goal margin.