Preview: Queens Park Rangers vs. Watford - prediction, team news, lineups

Watford volition footwear disconnected the caller twelvemonth with a abbreviated travel to Loftus Road for Wednesday's Championship clash with Queens Park Rangers.

The Hornets are sitting successful seventh spot successful the Championship table, portion QPR volition caput into the lucifer successful 17th position.

Match preview

© Imago

QPR statesman 2025 with a six-point buffer to the relegation portion aft winning five, drafting 11 and losing 8 of their 24 league matches.

The R's enjoyed an awesome tally of signifier earlier Christmas, winning 4 and drafting 3 of their 7 matches successful a promising undefeated streak.

However, their good spell of signifier was abruptly ended by a dense 3-0 distant decision against Swansea City connected Boxing Day.

QPR looked acceptable to bounce backmost with a triumph erstwhile they took the pb successful Sunday's distant clash with Norwich City, courtesy of an Ante Crnac ain extremity successful first-half stoppage time.

As it proved, the R's were incapable to clasp connected to their advantage, conceding successful the 89th infinitesimal to gully 1-1 astatine Carrow Road, extending their winless distant tally to 4 matches.

Marti Cifuentes's broadside volition beryllium looking guardant to returning to the acquainted surroundings of Loftus Road, wherever they person won each of their erstwhile 3 league games.

© Imago

Watford whitethorn sitting extracurricular the playoffs connected extremity difference, but they person struggled for consistency successful caller times, having won two, drawn 2 and mislaid 2 of their past six matches.

Unfortunately for the Hornets, those 2 victories took spot successful their last 3 matches of 2024, losing 2-1 to Burnley and Cardiff connected either broadside of a constrictive location triumph against Portsmouth.

Rocco Vata's melodramatic victor netted a precocious victor against Pompey to widen Watford's unbeaten location tally to 15 Championship matches.

However, that awesome streak was ended by Cardiff's Callum Robinson, who netted a brace to condemn Watford to a constrictive 2-1 decision successful Sunday's clash astatine Vicarage Road.

After losing a location league crippled for the archetypal clip since March, Watford volition person to rapidly prime themselves up for Wednesday's travel to Loftus Road, with the visitors looking to extremity a four-game winless distant run.

The Hornets volition beryllium hoping for a repetition of the 2-1 triumph they recorded successful their astir caller distant lucifer against QPR past January.

Queens Park Rangers Championship form:

Watford Championship form:

Team News

© Imago

The hosts are without the services of Steve Cook, Liam Morrison, Karamoko Dembele, Jack Colback and Zan Celar.

Lucas Andersen is simply a large uncertainty aft helium was forced disconnected conscionable earlier the hr people against Norwich owed to a calf issue.

Midfielder Jonathan Varane is successful contention for a callback aft dropping down to the seat astatine the play pursuing a tally of 5 consecutive darts.

Meanwhile, Watford brag Tom Cleverley is incapable to telephone upon Kevin Keben and Tom Dele-Bashiru, who are some moving their mode backmost from genu issues.

The Watford aesculapian unit volition person to measure Vata and Imran Louza aft the brace were taken disconnected against Cardiff owed to wounded concerns.

Attacker Kwadwo Baah is acceptable to instrumentality to the starting lineup, having completed a one-match suspension for the reddish paper helium received aft the Boxing Day triumph implicit Portsmouth.

Queens Park Rangers imaginable starting lineup:
Nardi; Ashby, Dunne, Fox, Paal; Field, Varane; Smyth, Morgan, Chair; Kolli

We say: Queens Park Rangers 2-1 Watford

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