QPR vs Stoke Prediction: Dull affair expected in the capital

The Championship is back for a midweek round of fixtures and we have turned our attention to the bottom of the table as relegation candidates QPR host Stoke.

Below we have previewed this Tuesday night clash, and given two betting selections for you to consider. 

Team News

Morgan Fox remains out for new boss Martin Cifuentes, while Jake Clarke-Salter is close to a return having featured in the matchday squad at Carrow Road. Sinclair Armstrong and Andre Dozzell could both start here as QPR look to address their lack of goal threat, while Lydon Dykes possibly set for a spell on the bench. 

For Stoke, Luke McNally and Michael Rose have put together a good partnership, keeping four clean sheets in five. Ben Wilmot remains out, along with Lewis Baker, while Andre Vidigal missed the Blackburn game through illness but should return here.

Match Odds

QPR are 11/5 to win this game, with Stoke City priced at 5/4. A draw can be backed at 9/4, BTTS is 4/5 and over 2.5 goals is priced at EVS.

Under 1.5 goals @ 2/1

These two teams have found goals seriously hard to come by in recent weeks. Stoke’s upward trajectory has stopped in its tracks, and Alex Neil may come under pressure if things don’t improve. They’ve failed to score in their last three games, and although the potential return of Vidigal may help things, he is unlikely to be at his best here. 

QPR haven’t done much better in front of goal, scoring just once in their last three. They’ve drawn a blank in their last two outings and not looked like an attacking threat in either game. With a lack of goalscoring talent on either side, and two reasonably decent defences, I can see this being a really drab encounter. As a result, the 2/1 on offer for under 1.5 goals has caught my eye, and I’m happy to get behind it. 

QPR 0-0 Stoke City @ 17/2

On the back of the stats we’ve just seen, this is likely to be a low-scoring affair. QPR drew their last home game against Bristol City 0-0, while Stoke’s last away game at Coventry also finished goalless. 

QPR have scored just 11 goals in 17 matches so far and even under the tenure of Martí Cifuentes they haven’t improved in an attacking sense. The R’s do look more organised however and it wouldn’t be a surprise if they kept a misfiring Stoke side at bay. The 17/2 available for the 0-0 stalemate offers incredible value in my eyes given both of these sides are weak in the final third at this moment in time. 

Check out our other Football Betting Tips here.