Queens Park Rangers’ second double Gameweek in as many months sees them embark on trips to West Midlands rivals West Brom and Aston Villa within the space of four days. The R’s will have to arrest a run of five defeats if they harbour any aspirations of bridging a four-point gap and climbing out of the relegation zone.
The Prospects
The Hoops’ first fixture of Gameweek 31 sees them travel to The Hawthorns to pit their wits against the Baggies. Considering that QPR have only recorded one win away from Loftus Road this campaign – losing the other 13 – Tony Pulis’ outfit will fancy their chances of getting back to winning ways after a 3-0 defeat to Manchester City last weekend.
West Brom’s greatest strength under Pulis’ tenure has been their much-improved defence. In the five home clashes under their new boss, their rearguard has only been breached three times – all of which came in a 3-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur. That hardly bodes well for a QPR side that’s tallied just 10 on their travels this term. Nonetheless, Chris Ramsey’s men will draw encouragement from the fact that the hosts have been far from prolific themselves, only mustering five goals and 14 goal attempts on target in the previous six Gameweeks.
Brown Ideye and Saido Berahino – who’ve shouldered the goalscoring responsibility equally in recent weeks, scoring three each in their last six starts – are the obvious danger men for the visitors. Yet QPR’s own star striker, Charlie Austin, could well outshine the pair: he will look to test second-string stopper Boaz Myhill, with Ben Foster absent with a knee injury.
QPR close out their double with a visit to Villa Park on April 7. The Villains are a far different proposition to that which the Hoops encountered during their 2-0 win in the reverse fixture. Key to Villa’s revival has been a return to form for their attacking contingent; Christian Benteke and Gabriel Agbonlahor have registered three goals in as many starts, doubling their tallies for the season under Tim Sherwood. Allied to that, their defence has tightened up over the last four Gameweeks, with only three sides (Manchester United, Arsenal and Southampton) conceding fewer goals than Villa (three) during that spell. Considering they also rank in the top five with regards to the least shots conceded across that stretch (24), QPR need to be on form if they are to trouble Brad Guzan.
Likely Lads
Given that he’s scored 15 of his side’s 31 goals to date, it’s impossible to look beyond Charlie Austin as the prime candidate for QPR coverage in the double. Although the 6.4-priced striker has produced just a single assist in his last three appearances, he’s not been short on goal scoring opportunities – over the last four Gameweeks, only Sergio Aguero’s 24 attempts betters Austin’ 21. With an ownership of over 20%, Austin is far and away the most popular FPL option for the double Gameweek – going without certainly carries a degree of risk, then, if he manages to rediscover his eye for goal.
Although there have been few positive developments since the appointment of Ramsey at Loftus Road, Matty Phillips has felt like a new signing since his reinstatement in the starting line-up. Of the seven goals that QPR have registered in their previous six matches, the Scotland international has directly contributed to five of them, netting once (a spectacular forty-yard howitzer) and serving up four assists. At 4.6, Phillips serves as an excellent low-priced midfield differential for the double Gameweek, yet could struggle in the R’s subsequent four match-ups (CHE, WHU, liv, mci).
QPR have only recorded one shut-out (away to Sunderland) in their previous 11 league encounters, although Robert Green’s tendency to rack up saves – and the fact that Villa and West Brom rank in the bottom four with regards to goals scored this term – hint towards the shot-stoppers’ latent value. The 4.5-priced goalkeeper has earned at least one bonus save point in 11 of his last 14 starts, contributing to a point per appearance average (3.1) that surpasses any of QPR’s defenders.
The Cheeky Punt
Bobby Zamora has drawn blanks in his previous four outings, yet his underlying stats suggest he’s been quietly effective. In the last six Gameweeks, only Diafra Sakho (53), Olivier Giroud (42) and Sergio Aguero (38) have taken more touches in the 18-yard box than Zamora (32). During the same period, no forward has created more chances (10) for their team-mates than the former Fulham frontman. A word of caution, however, Zamora looks prone to rotation after being benched for QPR’s last road trip.
In the last six Gameweeks, only Scott Dann (21) and Branislav Ivanovic (20) can claim to have tallied more penalty box touches than Steven Caulker (18) amongst defenders. Clean sheets may be a collector’s item for the London outfit, but Caulker’s propensity for imposing himself at set plays shouldn’t be overlooked. No other defender in the league comes close to the volume of headers (20) that the 4.6-priced English centre-back has attempted this term, underlining his importance in the opposition box as he looks to replicate last season’s five-goal haul.
