MY ACCOUNT
– Cardiff have failed to win in four at home
– QPR ended a four-game winless streak on the road to beat Preston
– Recommended bet: QPR draw no bet
Neil Critchley led QPR to an impressive 1-0 victory at Preston in his first game at the helm and will be hoping for a similar performance and result when the Londoners take on Cardiff in the Welsh capital.
Sixth-placed QPR are targeting a victory to cement their position inside the playoffs, but fifth-bottom Cardiff need three points to head off the possibility of dropping into the relegation zone.
Team news
Cardiff midfielder Ebou Adams (knee) has suffered a setback in his rehabilitation and is struggling to feature over the festive period.
However, veteran central defender Sean Morrison (knee) has featured for the under-21s and is pushing to be involved for the first time since February.
Attacking midfielder Ilias Chair should be back in the frame for QPR after returning from World Cup duty with Morocco.
But midfielder Stefan Johansen (heel) and central defender Leon Balogun (calf) have not featured since the World Cup break and their fitness levels will be assessed before a decision is taken.
The stats
Cardiff are the second-lowest scorers in the Championship with only 20 goals in 23 matches.
They have failed to win any of their last four matches and have drawn the last two — away to Stoke (2-2) and at home to Blackpool (1-1) — despite taking the lead on both occasions.
Solid defence has underpinned the Bluebirds’ most recent successes with three of their last four wins secured by a 1-0 scoreline.
QPR were on their worst run of the season either side of the World Cup break, picking up just one point from six fixtures.
They were a free-scoring side earlier in the campaign but they have netted just twice in their last seven matches.
The Hoops have failed to find the net in three of their last four away fixtures.
Prediction
There was evidence of a new manager bounce when Critchley steered QPR to a single-goal success at Preston last weekend and the 44-year-old’s positive start to life in the Hoops’ dugout can continue with a win against relegation-threatened Cardiff.
Critchley inherited a decent team who were going through a bad patch but it did not take him long to put some belief and confidence back into the players.
QPR worked their socks off for their victory at Preston and thoroughly deserved the three points after playing on the front foot for much of the game.
They have some talented individuals, including six-goal joint-top scorer Chris Willock and Ilias Chair, who should be eager for some action after featuring just once in Morocco’s World Cup adventure.
QPR’s defending has been inconsistent, but they looked disciplined against Preston and are capable of a clean sheet against Cardiff, who have scored just ten home league goals this season.
Cardiff had hoped to be competing towards the top end of the division but they are 20th, just two points outside the bottom three, and have tough trips to Coventry and Blackburn on their festive schedule.
There is a lot of pressure on them to defeat QPR, but they seem more likely to suffer a 12th league loss of the campaign.
QPR look well-placed to pick up a second successive win under Critchley and offer interest at 21/20 in the draw no bet market with LiveScore Bet.
