HomeFeatured ArticlesQPR v Liverpool Preview | Key Men, Stats & Team News

QPR v Liverpool Preview | Key Men, Stats & Team News

Harry Redknapp will be hoping his Queens Park Rangers side can steer him out of some pretty dangerous waters and pick up three points after taking on Liverpool at Loftus Road on Sunday afternoon.

The Royals have only managed to win one game so far this season and find themselves in an all too familiar position at the bottom of the Premier League table. Victory could be good enough to lift them out of the relegation zone but only if Everton, Newcastle United and Burnley lose their respective games.

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Liverpool have also found it hard so far this season, albeit in a vastly different manner from their weekend’s opponents. The Reds have found it difficult adjusting to life without Luis Suarez in their front three and they currently sit in ninth place on 10 points (although just one point behind the top four).

Both clubs would welcome a win and Redknapp will want to match the winning result his club managed against Liverpool three years ago when they were under the stewardship of Mark Hughes.

Team News

Niko Kranjcar could return in time to face Liverpool as long as he can pass a late fitness test. However, Jordon Mutch, Joey Barton and Alejandro Faurlin will all miss this game through injury.

Liverpool still have several injury concerns that are affecting them in the build up to this game. Some players such as Daniel Sturridge, Emre Can, Joe Allen and Mamadou Sakho have all returned to training this week but it remains to be seen whether they will be considered fit to play. Dejan Lovren picked up an injury on international duty for Croatia but could still face QPR. Jon Flanagan meanwhile is still out for a few weeks at the very least.

Interesting Statistics

  • QPR have only managed to win seven of their 44 league matches against the Reds, losing 31.
  • The London side have conceded the fewest fouls in the league and likewise have picked up the fewest bookings with just eight.
  • In his time as QPR manager, Redknapp has only won five of his 32 Premier league games.
  • Daniel Sturridge has scored just once in his last seven away games.
  • The Reds have scored in 14 of their last 15 trips to London.
  • Liverpool have only lost one of their last six league games against QPR, winning the other five.

Key Players

Caulker statsQueens Park Rangers – Steven Caulker

Caulker has forged a reputation over the last year as one of the Premier League’s top young defenders and has performed reasonably well for QPR this season despite the team’s bad results. In seven appearances, he has won 60% of his duels, according to Squawka.com. Looking at this in more detail, he has only managed to win five of his 13 attempted tackles but has been successful in 20 of his 30 aerial duels.

He has only attempted to take on three players but has been successful each time. He has been involved in an average of 11 defensive actions per game and when you total these over the course of the season, just under 70% of these have been clearances while just under a quarter have been in the form of interceptions. Caulker is an integral part of QPR’s defence and if Liverpool’s attack can get the best of him then it is likely they will score the goals they need to win.

Henderson statsLiverpool – Jordan Henderson

Henderson has arguably been one of Liverpool’s best players along with Raheem Sterling this season and recently won the club’s player of the month award for September as a result. He has appeared in all seven of Liverpool’s games and according to Squawka.com he has created 15 chances for his team-mates and made three assists in the process. He has also averaged a 60% shooting accuracy and even managed to score the odd goal. He has a fairly impressive passing accuracy of 87% and has also managed to win just over half of his duels. This includes winning 16 of 32 tackles and being successful in four of the six aerial duels that he has been involved in. Henderson is one of the hardest working players in the league and this has been reflected in his performances this season. QPR will have to make sure their midfield are at the top of their game against him.

Betting

Henderson has been one of Liverpool’s main players this season and this has been reflected in his promotion to vice-captain and his winning of the club’s player of the month award for the month of September. If you think he can pick up an assist against QPR this weekend then you can get odds of 3.50 for this to happen with Tailorbet, here.

Prediction

QPR are already in trouble, even at this stage of the season and unfortunately for them I can’t see their luck changing against Liverpool. Brendan Rodgers’ side haven’t had it easy but with the potential return of Daniel Sturridge they could be in line for a good win this weekend. I think it will finish 2-0 to Liverpool.

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