Although both teams are yet to record a league victory so far, it is much easier to build a case for QPR changing that this weekend. Firstly, the way in which they recovered from 2-0 down to draw at Sheffield United last weekend will surely do wonders for their self-belief. Rangers were 2-0 down and would net a very late equaliser despite only having ten men. That would’ve felt like a victory.

As for Plymouth, there are still too many unknowns regarding them. Wayne Rooney has made changes game-to-game already, which indicates he doesn’t know his best eleven just yet. Also, Argyle had big issues away from home last season and that looks to be continuing into this campaign. They began 2024/25 losing 4-0 at Sheffield Wednesday, whilst only Rotherham and Birmingham, who went on to be relegated, achieved fewer away points in the Championship last season.

QPR boss Martí Cifuentes also recently added Karamoko Dembélé and Koki Saito to fill the void left by the injured Ilias Chair. Both made encouraging debuts at Sheffield United by assisting a goal apiece and their impact will further give everyone a lift.

Expecting at least a minimum of two goals in this Saturday afternoon encounter shouldn’t really be asking for much giving each team will view this as a winnable contest. The case is strengthened knowing that since Cifuentes took charge, QPR have seen 11 of the 14 victories they recorded contain two or more goals.

Plymouth’s performances have gradually improved game to game, albeit very early into this season, meaning they travel in greater hope of a positive result after an improved performance in last weekend’s draw with Hull. They’ve averaged 15.34 shots per game in all competitions in the current season, suggesting they won’t come to Loftus Road and play too defensively. Being at home, QPR will of course be aggressive and go in search of three points.

Using the early weeks to this season as a guide, QPR have seen their games average 3.67 goals per game, whilst for Plymouth that number is slightly lower at 3.00. Nevertheless, clearly both are above the 2.00 line that would be needed for this bet to be a winning one. Both teams to score also occurred in all three for this weekend’s home team, which is likely as a consequence of Cifuentes’ offensive style but also taking into account their defensive shortcomings.

This is a game both teams will believe that they can win and ultimately that should be reflected in how they approach this contest. Given how QPR and Plymouth are still seeking league victory number one in 2024/25 then this has the makings of an entertaining contest. 45 minutes is a long time in football and with each team averaging 2.50 goals conceded per league fixture so far it further enhances prospects of goals.

Early into the season, QPR’s matches in all competitions have contained six first-half goals, an average of 2.00 per game, and also five second-half goals. Given they’ve tended to be involved in open and high-scoring clashes then it can safely be taken that a goal in each half could easily materialise.

It has been more second-half dominant with regard to Plymouth’s encounters so far. Of the nine goals they have produced, eight did so after half-time. However, only 6.52% of their Championship games last season were 0-0 at the interval, suggesting that matches don’t often take time for the goals to flow.

Karamoko Dembélé has been something of a ‘buzz player’ for a while now. He was playing for the Celtic Under-20 team at the age of 13 and it is now where he is really looking to stamp down an impact in the senior game. He impressed on loan at Blackpool in League One last season, being their second-highest league scorer from midfield, and deserves to prove himself in the Championship.

Despite only joining the club a few days prior, the tricky winger was thrown straight in for his debut at Sheffield United last weekend. He would complete 67 minutes in his first competitive minutes since April and his three shots was the joint-highest of any QPR player on the day. He is eager to impress and is determined to get his first goal to prove his worth.

Although aged only 21, there is still a degree of pressure and expectancy on him to deliver. That is ultimately why he has been signed and with key attacker Ilias Chair not available for another few months, his manager will look to players such as him to fill the void.

Referee Gavin Ward will officiate this Championship contest and his record over recent times suggests that cards simply have to be on the agenda. This will be the second match he has refereed this season, the first being Stoke’s 1-0 victory against Coventry, where three yellow cards were issued. In 2023/24, he would average 3.86 yellow cards per game and he notably awarded more early in the campaign before seemingly becoming more lenient towards the end.

Also, given how both QPR and Plymouth are going in search of their first league wins, there is bound to be a bit of an edge in this one, particularly as they’ll each view this as a winnable fixture. Also, Plymouth are ranked joint-sixth in the Championship in terms of fouls committed in league action this season. In the two meetings these clubs had last season, they would average 3.50 yellow cards, whilst Argyle also received a red on their last visit to Loftus Road.

Plymouth have committed an average of 13 fouls per match this season in all competitions and there is a certain individual who has contributed greatly to that. Mumba tops their standings in terms of the number of fouls produced, and given he started the first game on the bench it means he has produced his ten fouls across roughly 210 out of a possible 270 minutes, which is six more than any of his teammates.

Manager Rooney appears to be favouring the very versatile Mumba in more of a left-back role. Although he has experience of this position before, the fact he is a right-footer playing on the left naturally makes it slightly more awkward for him. Last season, the 22-year-old was one of only three players at the club to receive ten or more yellow cards in the Championship, so he has a history of attracting the attention of referees.

Being the home side, the onus will be on QPR to really take the game to Plymouth. Although both will consider this a game that they can win, this really is all about QPR and how they approach it. Cifuentes will want them to play on the front foot and be aggressive, so they should enjoy some periods of prolonged pressure.

Going into this round of fixtures, Rangers are ranked third in the Championship with regards to the number of corners earned, which works out at an average of 10.50. To their credit, Plymouth are not too far behind in that regard, but the difference is Rooney’s men are conceding an average of 9.00 corners per league clash so far, which is the joint-highest in the division.

That final statistic should not come as any real surprise as in the previous season Argyle was ranked top in terms of the average number of corners they conceded; 7.48. Therefore, despite a change of management in the summer, nothing has changed in that respect. Their bad away form is well known and as such they are vulnerable to the opponent winning corners.

In just below 70% of games in all competitions that manager Cifuentes has overseen since his appointment at QPR, they have failed to keep a clean sheet. They are conceding an average of 1.14 goals per match, which indicates they are not the most reliable with regards to keeping the opposition at bay.

Also, eight of their last 13 home league fixtures featured both teams scoring, which included them achieving just the three clean sheets in the process. In relation to Plymouth, their bad away record is there for all to see, but it still didn’t stop them last season from scoring away to top-six clubs Ipswich, Leeds, Southampton and Norwich.

Albeit only two league matches into the season, it has to be worth noting that only Cardiff and Millwall have conceded more goals than QPR and Plymouth so far. Rooney’s side are ranked sixth on the xGA count, plus the fact QPR have conceded five despite their xGA only working out as 2.81 shouldn’t necessarily be classed as unlucky as it means they are finding ways to concede goals that they shouldn’t be.