��These games have now been postponed following the developing predicament with the Coronavirus. QPR's young guns to test the Barnsley defence
QPR [1.97] v Barnsley [three.85] The Draw [three.75]
QPR sit perfectly in mid-table and come into this game in superb form. Some optimistic supporters have spoken about the possibility of a late play-off push. Realistically, a leading half finish would rank as a superb achievement for Mark Warburton and his coaching employees. The R's are just six points off the leading six, and with Preston, Bristol City and Swansea all proving pretty inconsistent more than the final couple of weeks, their hopes are not very dead and buried just yet.
The west Londoners come off the back of a excellent victory against the Lilywhites. The manager's half-time changes altered the course of the contest with impressive duo Ilias Chair and Luke Amos supplying the side far much more in the final third. They were also aided by Preston's unfathomable method of defending a a single purpose lead for 45 minutes, though that should not detract from the reality that the visitors have been excellent following the break.
With Geoff Cameron suspended, Warburton will be forced to tweak his starting XI, and he might opt for a far more attacking line-up. He's tended to play it safe on the road in current weeks, deploying Marc Pugh and Dominic Ball to shield the defence and take the stress off the likes of Grant Hall and Yoann Barbet. Nonetheless, at property, he is far much more most likely to encourage his side to play on the front foot.
The form of Eberechi Eze continues to attract admirers from larger divisions and he is ably assisted by the resurgent Osayi-Bright Samuel. The former Blackpool man has enjoyed a terrific season in the Championship and his industrious method to games tends to enable QPR to develop a lot of goalscoring opportunities.
The hosts have netted 11 instances in their last 4 matches, and they've also managed to notch eight in their last three outings at this ground. Fans are understandably excited by their young side's capability to entertain, and this could be one particular of their final possibilities to see the likes of aforementioned Eze, Samuel and Ryan Manning play in blue and white hoops.
Only West Brom and Brentford have identified the net a lot more instances than the R's this season, and although they've played a game far more than the Bees, they have still managed to notch the highest quantity of residence ambitions in the second tier.
They'll be feeling confident coming into this game, specifically when you element in their home record against Barnsley. They've won every of their last 11 matches against the South Yorkshire side at this ground, and in spite of eight diverse managers appearing in the house dugout during this period, they appear to simply appreciate taking on the Tykes at Loftus Road.
Tykes' nevertheless conceding sloppy goals
The visitors are in real difficulty at the bottom of the table, and final week's damaging defeat to Cardiff appeared to be another nail in the relegation coffin. They are creating chances beneath Gerhard Struber, nevertheless, they switched off twice in two minutes and weren't in a position to discover a way back into the tie.
Their defence has enhanced given that the Austrian arrived at Oakwell, though they nevertheless have tendency to concede sloppy objectives, and that could play into QPR's hands on Saturday afternoon. The hosts will pounce upon any errors at the back and have the potential to be unforgiving in front of purpose. Barnsley might find the back of the net in this one, in spite of obtaining the lowest conversion rate in the league, nonetheless, it could not be adequate to safe them a share of the spoils.
Backing Over 1.five QPR targets in this tie at four/five on the Sportsbook appears like a quite great way of approaching this potentially higher-scoring contest. It would have paid out on 11 occasions at this ground so far this season.
Millwall and Derby to both register at the Den
Millwall [2.18] v Derby [three.85] The Draw [three.45]
Following final Friday's impressive victory at the City Ground, Millwall looked a very tempting prospect at [2.18] this weekend, nevertheless, the Lions struggle to finish sides off in front of their own fans, and it could be ideal to swerve the match market place altogether in this 1.
Gary Rowett has been in charge for 24 Championship matches and has picked up ten victories given that taking more than from Neil Harris. Half of these victories have been acquired on the road, with the Bermondsey club managing just a single win on their personal patch given that New Year's Day.
Rowett has produced his side exceptionally difficult to beat, and they have suffered just five defeats below him, with two of these coming against Leeds and West Brom. Regardless of this, they have turn into tough to trust at the Den, although they do have the tendency to discover the back of the net. Only the aforementioned Baggies and Birmingham have kept them off the scoresheet at this ground so far this campaign, and Derby's defence does not look strong adequate to deal with the likes of Jed Wallace and Matt Smith.
Forty-4 objectives in 37 Championship games could not be an extraordinary total, but they do have a tendency to produce a fair number of probabilities per game, and their continual aerial bombardment of the opposition is likely to trigger lots of uncertainty amongst the Derby back-line.
The Rams stay the only side in the second tier without a clean sheet on their travels this season. Phillip Cocu's side have undoubtedly enhanced in the final third, and with a faint whiff of play-offs nonetheless in the air, their young squad will undoubtedly be up for for this trip to the capital. They've shipped 13 instances in their final six away games and appear really vulnerable, specifically from set-piece scenarios.
Crucially, the guests have discovered their shooting boots in recent weeks, and have netted three occasions in each of their final two Championship matches. They are playing with confidence in the final third, and they will fancy their chances of obtaining a way previous a Lions defence which has managed just a single clean sheet in their final four matches at this stadium.
BTTS is offered at 20/23 on the Sportsbook, and could be the best way to go in this a single. Millwall struggle to choose up points on their own patch, whilst Derby are sloppy on the road and can not be trusted till they commence to show a small more defensive solidity.
Stoke to safe a worthwhile point in Berkshire
Reading [2.86] v Stoke [2.72] The Draw [three.15]
Stoke have turn into incredibly hard to beat beneath Michael O'Neill, and that back-to-basics approach on their travels has helped them hold their heads above water at the bottom of the Championship. The Potters are far from secure, and they cannot afford to take their foot off the gas anytime quickly, but they do appear far a lot more organised because the Northern Irishman arrived in Staffordshire.
They're undefeated in three of their last five matches on the road, and must probably have taken all three points against Luton last month. Only three sides have beaten O'Neill's underachieving side in 2020, and they've shipped just two ambitions in their final 4 outings. The kind of academy items Tyrese Campbell and Nathan Collins points to a bright future for the former Premier League side, and with the likes of Sam Clucas and Tommy Smith also hitting form in current weeks, they are a match for any person at the moment.
Reading eased to a 3-1 victory at St.Andrews final weekend and despite the fact that the jury is nonetheless out relating to the lengthy-term future of manager Mark Bowen, the Welshman has helped solidify the Royals and has quietly steered them into mid-table. Even though he has been sometimes accused of foregoing the far more aesthetically pleasing side of the game, his group do possess plenty of flair players and the likes of John Swift, Pele and George Puscas have undoubtedly caught the eye at times this year.
They have a very good record against Stoke at the Madejski, denying the guests a victory in all of their final 14 visits to this ground. Six of those meetings have ended in a stalemate, and we face the prospect of a comparable outcome as soon as again. O'Neill was clearly playing for the point at Ewood Park on February 26, opting to bring on defensive reinforcements in the second half, and he is not afraid to ask his side to simply shut up shop and take one thing from the match.
The draw is accessible at [three.15] on the Exchange and appears worth backing in this clash amongst two sides who are each and every led by fairly pragmatic managers.
You can stick to Jack Critchley on Twitter @jcritch7