QPR to continue dogged pursuit of promotion places
Queens Park Rangers will welcome a decimated Reading side to Loftus Road on Saturday afternoon in the EFL Championship. The hosts' four-game winning streak came to an end in midweek when they conspired to draw with mid-table Swansea City, but they will be confident of ensuring that's only a bump in the road whilst chasing Blackburn Rovers in second spot. Read our preview here:
A strong Field
Mark Warburton is poised to return to a 3-4-1-2 system, giving the Hoops flexibility and width in the midfield area that the visitors simply won't have. Defensively minded Sam Field has made his berth his own since November, and will shuttle between the lines to mop up any aerial balls the Berkshire outfit launch into the home side's defensive third. The versatile Chris Willock is the creative foil for the London side, and he will seek to thread passes through any gaps to Charlie Austin and Lyndon Dykes.
No Pușcaș award
As ever, a lot of the Royals' woes originate off the pitch, and the pressure is most certainly back on head coach Veljko Paunović. Though not liable himself for the six point deduction, it threatens to drag them into a relegation scrap, regardless of the fate that could await Derby County. He'll also be missing half a dozen first team regulars, and Andy Carroll looks set to move elsewhere. George Pușcaș has just a solitary goal to his name in 2021/2022, with the promise of two years ago a distant memory. John Swift, with eight strikes and 11 assists, is the only big threat likely to be in the XI.
Betting tip
The paucity of goals up top could derail Reading's season entirely. QPR have no such concerns as they bid to return to the top flight for the first time in seven years. Parimatch have odds of 2.62 for them to win to nil.
