The main story surrounding this match is the return of Cardiff manager Neil Warnock to former club Queens Park Rangers.
Queens Park Rangers had an abrupt end to their back-to-back victories as they lost 2-1 away at Preston North End last Saturday. They are still in a relegation battle but, the fact they are currently seven points above the drop-zone, means they should survive. There are too many teams worst than them in the division for Rangers to go down.
Ian Holloway’s side have been pretty poor in both boxes with just 37 scored and 48 conceded in 34 Championship matches. Their clean sheet record is also one of the worst in the division having kept a clean sheet in just 15% of their matches.
The Hoops have been terrible at Loftus Road so far this campaign with just 19 points taken from 17 home games. Having said that, they did win their last outing on home soil against struggling Wigan Athletic which could give them a confidence boost going into this match.
Cardiff have been on a role in recent times with no defeats in their last four, winning three of those matches. This puts them 12th in the table – a scenario unthinkable when Neil Warnock took over with the club fighting against relegation.
The Bluebirds have been fantastic going forward, particularly recently where they have found the back of the net 13 times in their last four games and their overall record of 47 in 34 betters three of the four teams in the play-off places. Defensively they have been a bit of a shambles and they have the sixth-worst ‘Goals Against’ record in the division. However, when you are scoring for fun, it does not matter too much.
Away form has been very impressive and their last two matches on the road saw them take six points from play-off chasers Leeds United and Derby County.
The form book really goes in Cardiff’s favour here and, with their superior attacking quality, I would certainly back them at 39/20. Also, you cannot overlook the Warnock factor here as he goes against a former club where he will be even more determined to get a result.
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