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QPR vs Manchester United Match Preview

Manchester United travel to QPR tomorrow in what is a must win game for both teams, for very different reasons.

Manchester United find themselves 12 points clear at the top of the table and a win would put them one game closer to their 13th Premier League title, whilst QPR sit at the bottom of the table seven points from safety. Harry Redknapp will be trying to replicate his recent successes against the top sides, after picking up a shock win at Stamford Bridge and gaining valuable points against Manchester City and Tottenham.

However, Manchester United sit on top of the form table winning 5 of their last 6 Premier League games and after an impressive 1-1 draw at The Bernabeu followed by a 2-1 win over Reading in the F.A Cup, this will no doubt be Harry Redknapp’s toughest game since taking over. All of the odds are stacked against Harry’s QPR and bwin are offering a free £20 bet for for EPLIndex readers.

Team News

QPR welcome back Junior Hoilett (Hamstring) and Samba Diakate (International Duty), while Loic Remy will be assessed to see if he has fully recovered from his groin problem.

Harry Redknapp will also be hoping to get more than 45 minutes out of Bobby Zamora as he manages a long-standing hip injury according to Sky Sports.

Manchester United are set to be without Wayne Rooney for the trip to Loftus Road after the England striker sat out their 2-1 win over Reading in the F.A Cup due to a sinus problem.

Paul Scholes (Knee) and Phil Jones (Ankle) are both out but Robin Van Persie is set to be recalled to the starting line-up.

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Interesting Statistics

  • QPR have not beaten Manchester United since 1992, when they won 4-1 at Old Trafford.
  • Manchester United have won all 6 of their Premier League matches after a Champions League tie this season.
  • QPR’s last 3 home games have all finished 0-0 (Tottenham, Man City, Norwich)
  • Only Chelsea (66) in the 2005/2006 season have picked up more points from their opening 26 games than Manchester United this season.

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Key Players

Adel Taraabt

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Taraabt has created 25% of QPR’s chances this season as well as 42% of their clear-cut chances and is QPR’s main creative threat.

Harry Redknapp will  looking to the former Tottenham player to make the difference against the league leaders as QPR have struggled to create chances without him.

The Moroccan has four assists this season and has created  chance every 29 minutes, which is quite impressive for a struggling team.

On his day he is unplayable and QPR will need him to be in this sort of form for the rest of the season if they want to stay in the Premier League.

Taraabt is also QPR’s joint top goalscorer with 4 goals this season.

Michael Carrick

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Michael Carrick has been key at the heart of Manchester United’s midfield this season, keeping hold of the ball and recycling possession for his side.

Only Mikel Arteta (1918) has made more passes than Michael Carrick (1909) this season, with the Manchester United man finding a teammate with 88% of his passes.

Carrick’s ability to find space and make himself available for a pass this season has helped Manchester United 56.36% of the possession this season, and with 36% of his passes going forwards this season he is starting to shake off his “Crab” nickname.

Match Odds via bwin bets

£20 wins you:

van Persie Hat Trick: £240
Manchester United to win 4-1: £460
Evra to score at any time: £240
Zamora to score last: £220
QPR to win: £115

[box_light]All of the stats from this article have been taken from the Opta Stats Centre @ EPLIndex.com – Subscribe Now (Includes author privileges!) Check out our new Top Stats feature on the Stats Centre which allows you to compare all players in the league & read about new additions to the stats centre.[/box_light]

James Amey
James Amey
Head of the writers here on EPLIndex! Can also be found on Twitter - @jamesamey316
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