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Queens Park Rangers v Fulham

Written by Chris Sturdy

qpr Our featured match in the English Premier League on Saturday is a West London derby between Queens Park Rangers and Fulham at Loftus Road. Rangers are desperate for the points in their battle against relegation but they were thrashed at Fulham earlier in the season and they may well find themselves up against it again.

QPR go into this game fifth from bottom on the log but they have the same number of points as Blackburn and Wolves, two teams immediately below them and their advantage in terms of goal difference is slender. In fact just two points separates the bottom five clubs who have been cut adrift and whilst other teams could still get sucked in, as it stands you can probably perm any three from the current bottom five to fill the relegation places at the end of the season.

QPR have just two wins to show from 12 home matches and a 3-1 victory when Wigan came here is their only three point haul in their last 13 Premier League outings. Mark Hughes has seen his team take four points from the five league matches for which he has been at the helm and the last four of those have delivered a total of at least three goals. The last two matches saw Rangers go down 2-1 at home to Wolves, where a red card for Djibril Cisse when Rangers led 1-0 being a crucial factor, and last time out they lost 3-2 at Blackburn, a game in which they trailed 3-0 at the half time interval. Four of the last five home games have been lost and Rangers have just one clean sheet at Loftus Road this season.

Fulham are comfortable enough with 30 points and a mid table position but they are proving hard to catch right. They have yet to win back to back Premier League matches this season so although they arrive here on the back of a 2-1 home win over Stoke, they will have to overcome that statistic to preserve their healthy points advantage over the struggling teams. Poor away form has long since been Fulham's main headache and once again this season they are battling for points on their travels. Their only away win in the league came at Wigan at the end of October and whilst they have taken very useful points from trips to the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea amongst five drawn away matches, they have also lost at relegation candidates such as Wolves and Blackburn.

The earlier meeting between the teams this season was won 6-0 by Fulham with three goals in each half. There is a real edge to this game with Mark Hughes facing a former club and QPR striker Bobby Zamora having crossed from Craven Cottage to Loftus Road in the transfer window. Phil Dowd takes charge and we may well see a few cards in what should be a fiercely contested derby.

The Betting

QPR 33/20 BetXchange, Sportsbet, Voltbet

Draw 23/10 Sportsbet, Voltbet

Fulham 1.75/1 Ladbrokes

Selected Others

Half Time Result, Draw 12/10 Sportsbet

Draw no Bet QPR 9/10 BetXchange

Draw no Bet Fulham 9/10 BetXchange, Sportsbet

Odds are correct at the time of publication but are subject to change. Some bookmakers may not have priced up on all markets at the time of writing.

The Verdict

A really interesting London derby with plenty riding on it for the home side. Fulham are poor travelers and could hardly be backed with confidence but man for man I make them a better side than QPR. I will take a chance the derby ingredient will see Fulham put in a better shift than they usually do away from home and having already drawn at Arsenal and Chelsea in away matches where they have put their best foot forward, they ought fancy this. I'm tempted by the away win but the draw no bet option certainly comes into play and the more conservative route is my preferred option.

Bet: Draw no Bet Fulham 9/10 BetXchange, Sportsbet

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