QPR vs West Brom Prediction: Spaniards to cancel each other out at Loftus Road

For the 10th consecutive season, Loftus Road will stage second-tier football, and first up for Queens Park Rangers is an opening weekend contest against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday (12:30, Sky Sports+).

Read below for my QPR vs West Brom prediction as two Spanish managers - Marti Cifuentes and Carlos Corberan - come into contact on the touchline in west London.

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Team News

After leading the Hoops to safety last season, QPR head coach Cifuentes has made some exciting additions to his squad over the summer, recruiting French goalkeeper Paul Nardi from Gent and Slovenian striker Zan Celar from Lugano.

Celar was the joint-top scorer in the 2023/24 Swiss Super League and looks set to compete with Lyndon Dykes for a centre-forward spot. There's unlikely to be much competing going on this weekend, however, after Dykes lasted just 18 minutes as a substitute in a recent pre-season friendly against Reading before being taken off himself through injury.

Another of QPR's key players, Ilias Chair, is also likely to be sidelined on Saturday due to an issue with his back that has seen him miss the entirety of the club's Championship preparations.

Defender Morgan Fox is another injury doubt, which should see Steve Cook and Jake Clarke-Salter continue as the club's centre-back pairing.

According to recent reports, West Brom could be subject to restrictions in the transfer market as they adhere to an EFL financial plan, but the club were still able to make a couple of signings this week, signing Lewis Dobbin on loan from Aston Villa and Italian left-back Gianluca Frabotta on a permanent deal from Juventus. The duo are unlikely to start on Saturday but could be utilised from the bench.

Torbjorn Heggem is one new signing who could make his full debut after joining from Swedish side Brommapojkarna during the summer and playing in two of Albion's pre-season fixtures.

Mali midfielder Ousmane Diakite is another in contention to start at Loftus Road following his summer switch from Austria Vienna.

Jed Wallace is a doubt, however, while Grady Diangana appears destined to miss out through injury.

QPR vs West Brom Odds

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The hosts are slight favourites at 8/5 to kickstart their campaign with a win on Saturday, giving them an implied win probability of 38.5%, while the visitors are 9/5, or a 35.7% chance, to triumph at Loftus Road for the first time since November 2022.

The draw can be backed at 11/5, both teams to score at 4/5, and over 3.5 total goals - which landed in a 2-2 draw between the sides at the same venue in March - at 11/4.

Draw @ 11/5

Hoops hopes are high this year with Cifuentes at the helm, and an opening weekend fixture at Loftus Road against a troubled club is a great opportunity to start the season off with a win.

However, the expected absences of Chair and Dyke are a big blow, and it could take a bit of time for the likes of Celar to get into the swing of things in west London.

West Brom, meanwhile, still possess considerable quality in their ranks, in particular seasoned Championship campaigners Wallace and Jon Swift, who struck six and nine times respectively in the league last term.

Corberan will make the Baggies a difficult team to break down, and they will back themselves to do damage at the other end.

A draw, which was the case in this fixture five months ago, appears the most likely outcome on Saturday, and it's a result that would probably suit both sides as they look to build up some momentum this month.

Over 2.5 total goals @ 11/10

The sides shared four goals at Loftus Road in March and I can see a few goals again on Saturday to kick the season off in style.

Seven of WBA's last nine Championship away games ended with over 2.5 goals, while half (four) of QPR's last eight home matches have seen at least three goals.

Two of the last three head-to-heads between the pair have finished 2-2, with a 2-0 win for Albion at The Hawthorns last October falling narrowly short of the three goals required for this selection to land this weekend.

There are a few attacking stars missing on Saturday but that shouldn't make too much of a difference with both defences sure to be rusty after so long without playing competitive football.

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