In this article…
QPR v Watford
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Kick Off: Sunday 14th January at 12:00
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Competition: Championship
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Watch Live: Sky Sports Football
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Sunday’s EFL Championship kick-off sees Marti Cifuentes’ struggling Queens Park Rangers side host Valerian Ismail’s improving Watford.
It’s a fascinating encounter between two sides that would welcome three points at the mid-point of the season to match the ambition of coaches who are pretty open in what they expect.
Cifuentes expects more a QPR side that started bright under his tutelage but have suffered amid a lack of quality and depth since with various players receiving opportunities to impress but few taking them. A poor Christmas has seen them fall behind Sheffield Wednesday in the race for survival.
The inconsistency of Watford shows in their results with nine wins, nine draws and eight losses from their opening 26 games. Ismail has been ruthless with his selection choices, open to criticising players or removing them from the squad if they don’t fit his plans. Their performance improvement suggests he’s doing the right thign by his squad with them four points off sixth.
A live game wouldn’t be complete without Andy’s Bet Club providing the lowdown on the game and we aren’t disappointing you here. Read on below for all the important stats and bet builder tips ahead of the lunchtime kick-off this Sunday.
QPR v Watford Cheat Sheet
This Cheat Sheet and Preview was created using predicted lineups.
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You can find QPR v Watford match stats, on my bet builder stats tool, along with official line-ups one hour before kick-off.
⚽️ Match stats: Polarising attacks the story of these sides
These are two polarising outfits as far as their attacking output is concerned.
Queens Park Rangers’ struggles in front of goal is what is costing them at present, failing to reach 1xG in six of their last seven matches. They are the joint lowest scorers in the division with only Rotherham creating fewer goalscoring opportunities per game. In fact, two sides haven’t reached 1xG in a single game under Cifuentes.
Watford, meanwhile, are a little more rock and roll, seeing both sides score in each of their last ten matches having continued with an open, possession-based style of football that is wielding mixed results.
The most important numbers for QPR concern their home record. They have lost nine of 14 at Loftus Road in all competitions and the nine points collected from 12 league games is the lowest in the division by at least five. Only Stoke City have scored fewer goals. They are winless in their last seven in the league and failed to score in four of those.
It means Watford can feel confident. Their 4-4-4 record on the road isn’t the most inspiring but it becomes a 4-4-1 record when you exclude sides in the top six prior to the weekend. That they have created 6.1xG across their last three away matches suggests they are finding their feet away from home comforts too.
Predictions:
⚽ Watford double chance @ 1.36
🚩 Corner stats: Hosts concede plentiful corners
Queens Park Rangers aren’t the most exciting side and with their xG numbers so poor, set-pieces are important to their attempts to score goals.
The West London outfit have managed to have four or more corner kicks in 18 of their 26 outings this season and their record is better at home where they have had four or more in nine of 12 matches. When you consider that this weekend’s opponents Watford have conceded 5 or more in 10 of 12 away from home, there is reason to back the Hoops at 1.3.
Unsurprisingly, Sunday’s hosts also concede a fair amount of corners. They have conceded 4 or more corner kicks in 23 of their 26 league matches and 10 of 12 at home. When you look at 5 or more corner kicks, that becomes 18 of 26 overall and 10 of 12 away matches. Those numbers give Watford a chance. They have had 5 or more corner kicks in each of their last 7 and each of their last 3 away from home.
Predictions:
⚽ Over 3.5 QPR corners @ 1.30
⚽ Over 3.5 Watford corners @ 1.33
⚽ Over 4.5 Watford corners @ 1.73
🛑 Fouls & Cards stats: Both sides to get stuck in
This should be an enjoyably combative match between two sides that aren’t afraid to stick their foot in.
Both sides are averaging comfortably more than two cards per 90 minutes and over 12 fouls per 90, putting them within a foul of league leaders Birmingham City. What we’re saying is, this should be a fruitful market for fouls and cards. It helps that both sides are drawing over 10 fouls per game each and QPR have drawn over two and a half cards per game.
Sunday’s hosts are pretty consistent. They have committed ten or more fouls in 24 of their 26 league matches but cards haven’t been as regular under the stewardship of Marti Cifuentes until recently, picking up two or more cards in four of their last six.
Indeed, it’s the drawing of cards that has been more consistent. They have drawn two or more cards in 18 of their last 21 matches in all competitions and that has been taken up a notch as they start to take the ball more often, drawing three or more cards in ten of their last 11 outings, including each of their last eight.
It’s a good job Watford are up for the battle. They have collected two or more cards in 19 of their 26 league matches and ten of their 12 on the road, including three or more in seven of their last 11 away from home in the league. They committed at least eight fouls in every away match and ten or more on ten occasions.
They have drawn two or more cards in four of their last five on the road and eight of their last 11 overall across all competitions while drawing ten or more fouls in seven of their last eight. The more Ismail’s side find their feet, the tougher they become to handle for the opposition.
Predictions:
⚽ Over 1.5 QPR cards @ 1.40
⚽ Over 2.5 Watford cards @ 1.91
* I recommend waiting for confirmed team line-ups before placing any bets.
* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing.
Written by an Andy verified content writer
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