QPR V Chelsea
This match was remembered more for the red cards and the aftermath of the coming together of John Terry and Anton Ferdinand than anything else. The lucky win for QPR against nine man Chelsea is the result which stands out from last season between these, even though there were two wins for Chelsea over Rangers throughout the season.
QPR v Chelsea Betting Odds at online bookmaker Bet365:
Chelsea 5/6, Draw 5/2, QPR 7/2
Verdict:
While everyone remembers the shenanigans at Loftus Road in the lead last season, few remember that Chelsea went back there and earned a 1-0 win in the FA Cup and then demolished QPR back at Stamford Bridge. The point is, that result was probably a bit of a freak and it shouldn’t be taken as the norm. Fortunately, because of that result and Chelsea’s not so brilliant away form at the back end of last season, there is value in just backing Chelsea outright. Chelsea haven’t looked in unbeatable form despite their 100% start to the season, but there could be value in taking a Chelsea -0.75 Asian Handicap for a price of 43/40 at online bookmaker Bet365 in this one. They should be a couple of goals better than Rangers.
Stat Attack:
QPR ended a run of six unbeaten home matches in the league when they lost against Swansea on the opening day of the season
Chelsea have won only two of their last 10 Premier League away matches
QPR’s Bobby Zamora has failed to find the back of the net against Chelsea after facing them 11 times
Eden Hazard has four assists this season and has won two penalty kicks
Chelsea have been awarded a penalty in all three of their league matches this season
Chelsea have been level at half time in just one of their last 12 matches
Head to Head:
In the league, things are standing pretty even in the head to head to be honest. There is a total of 12 wins for QPR and 15 for Chelsea, with 15 draws. Chelsea beat QPR in the FA Cup and then thrashed them 6-1 back at Stamford Bridge in April. In the infamous match at Loftus Road last season, Chelsea picked up two red cards and that has been QPR’s only victory in the last nine matches against their fellow Londoners in all competitions. Chelsea’s 6-1 win was the first time since the 1993/94 Premier League season that a game had been settled by more than a one goal margin when the two sides met.
Online bookmaker promotion:
Online bookmaker BetFred offer some extra value if there is going to be any late drama in QPR v Chelsea betting. The betting site is offering double odds value on Correct Score bets if the goal which makes your bet in that market win, is scored in added time. So place a Correct Score bet, if that bet becomes a winner from a goal scored in added time, then that is double your odds. There’s always great value in the Correct Score market anyway, and a Chelsea 1-0 win is trading at 6/1, with a 1-1 draw just shorter at 13/2. A QPR 1-0 win in the Correct Score market is trading out at 10/1 with online bookmaker BetFred who offer a free £50 bet for new customers registering an account with them.
QPR v Chelsea Betting Preview:
Even though Rangers boss Mark Hughes drafted in some new players over the summer like Park Ji-Sung, they have really failed to get going as a team. They really have looked like the most disparate side in the Premier League so far this season, getting nothing going as a team whatsoever. Their only point on the board was a 1-1 result against Norwich, which came sandwiched in between two heavy defeats. QPR are wide open at the back and Chelsea should expose that. Interesting boss Mark Hughes has a W2 D2 L10 managerial record against Chelsea, which doesn’t instil confidence either. QPR are really still trying to find their feet in the Premier League this season and they have the worst defensive record so far, conceding an average of three goals per game. Of course there will be memories of the Loftus Road clash last season but the fact that Chelsea picked up two wins over QPR following that shock result last season, shows that that result came a bit out of the blue.
Chelsea have been relying heavily on the creativity, vision and footwork of Eden Hazard so far. The young Belgian has won two penalties and created four assists. Chelsea are still looking to really break in more creative talent like Oscar and former Wigan player Victor Moses. Moses, could really be the one who gives Chelsea a massively extra dynamic dimension with the form that he has been in this season. Chelsea will probably create enough chances to see this game off, but their problems are at the back. They are a bit slow, positioning is still a worry, as seen by the demolition job handed out by Atletico Madrid in the UEFA European Super Cup recently. Chelsea are expected to get back both Ashley Cole and John Terry back in action after missing England duty with their respective injury issues. Chelsea picked up the fewest points of sides in London derbies last season in the Premier League, one less than QPR in fact. But Chelsea have the better fire-power, no doubt QPR will battle hard and try to upset the visitors, but the QPR defence is gifting goals at the moment.
