QPR v Liverpool: Vital point can ignite Rs survival chances
Published:QPR have not kicked on in the way that many suspected they would do since Mark Hughes’ appointment as manager in January, and this is a contributory factor to them acquiring a hefty 7/2 price to beat Liverpool at home on Wednesday night.
The travelling Reds, 5/6 for victory, have lost their last two league matches on the road, but will be buoyed by the prospect of returning to Wembley for the second time this season, after beating Stoke in an FA Cup quarter-final tie over the weekend.
With cup competition an apparent priority for Kenny Dalglish’s men, whose aspirations of a top four finish look increasingly unlikely to be achieved, the draw could be the best option to get behind in this match, priced at 12/5.
Liverpool scraped a 1-0 victory in the reverse fixture at Anfield earlier in the season, but it was a game in which QPR did nothing to disgrace themselves, and with a squad vastly strengthened since January, they can give their survival credentials a massive boost by avoiding defeat here.
A leaky Rs defence has contributed immensely to their struggles in the league this term though, and it is difficult to see a Reds side containing the likes of Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez failing to breach their backline at Loftus Road, making the 10/3 odds for a score draw appeal.
The fact that QPR have been level in eight games by the break this term, whilst Liverpool been on terms a massive fifteen times by half-time, would seem to signify that investing in the 9/2 for the teams to be drawing at both half-time and full-time is a wise decision too.
Djibril Cisse will line up against his former club for the Hoops, and the Frenchman is a huge 8/1 to score first, whilst Steven Gerrard, who hit a hat-trick in his last league outing, looks to be Liverpool’s sharpest threat for the opener at 6/1.
