QPR vs Sheff Wed Prediction: Don’t expect many goals in relegation dust-up

| April 05 |

4 mins read

Relegation battles... The concept that makes even the most optimistic of optimists believe that their sporting world is about to end at any second. Just ask Queens Park Rangers and Sheffield Wednesday fans ahead of their Sky Bet Championship clash at Loftus Road on Saturday (kick-off 15:00 BST).

Rangers are on a roll. Back-to-back wins over Easter have them sat five points ahead of the dotted line in 16^th, but this season has been such that defeat to Wednesday - who have been stuck in 23^rd for what feels like 35 years, could yet rope them right back into the dogfight. Nothing is off the table, which makes a tipster especially nervous when selecting QPR vs Sheff Wed predictions.

QPR v Sheff Wed Betting Tips

QPR to win to nil @ 21/10
Half-time correct score 0-0 draw @ 6/4

Team news

While QPR don’t have too much to worry about in terms of absences, expect Marti Cifuentes to shuffle his pack once more as the Spaniard mixes and matches to find the best formula for each match in the Hoops’ rise up the table.

Rayan Kolli remains their only injury concern, the young Algerian striker having played no part in the Rs’ season since the New Year’s Day defeat to Cardiff City due to a leg muscle concern.

Cifuentes has become known for his desire for change, and that could mean Lyndon Dykes again being relieved up top in favour of Michael Frey, as has been the alternating trend of late.

Wednesday boss Danny Rohl welcomes back Josh Windass and Callum Paterson to the matchday squad after long-term injuries, but the German has warned that a maximum of one of the pair is likely to start.

There will be a late decision made on the readiness of Di’Shon Bernard, who pulled out of the Good Friday draw with Swansea City due to an injury sustained in the pre-game warm-up. Juan Delgado remains an absentee with a hip issue which has ruled him out since October.

Match odds

As the home side, and the team in form of late, QPR are favourites at 10/11, with Wednesday priced at 11/4. It’s 11/5 for a draw, while both teams to score is 5/6.

QPR to win to nil @ 21/10

Wednesday need to buck a few trends if they’re going to inject some new hope into their fanbase this weekend. First up, they haven’t won in four, conceding 11 in that time which includes a complete submission to Middlesbrough in their 2-0 defeat on Monday.

They also need to score some goals away from home. Their return of 10 strikes in 20 games is easily the worst in the second tier this season, and their four away wins have included three 1-0s and a sole 2-0 success over Millwall.

Their 12 failures to score on the road don’t bode well heading into the crucial last few away games, and the time for writing off games is now long gone for a club still two points and a hefty goal difference adrift of the safety mark.

The scratching and clawing stage of the season is well and truly here, and QPR have done that better than anyone over the last couple of months. The Londoners have recorded 25 points (seven wins, four draws, two losses) in their last 13 games, registering near-promotion form over a crucial period of the campaign.

They’ve made a habit of doing enough to stave off the spectre of falling back into trouble, and they may only need one goal to continue that run on Saturday.

Half-time correct score 0-0 draw @ 6/4

We’ve already discussed Wednesday’s toothlessness on the road, and it is unlikely looking at their record that they will come out all guns blazing with an early stampede. They have netted in two of seven away games in 2024 so far, and only against Millwall have they bagged anything in the first half over that spell.

QPR themselves have been slow to make things count of late, with their last four games being scoreless heading into the interval, and this is another match which could well be a slow burner.

Wednesday’s goalscorer against Swansea, Bailey Cadamarteri, could be benched for this one after being subbed at half-time at Middlesbrough last time out, and you have to go back seven games to February for the last time any other Owl scored a first-half goal.

Nail-biting nerves, rather than net-busting zingers, will be where the drama lies in this one, and the 6/4 odds imply a 40% probability of the two keepers being unbeaten come half-time.