QPR V Wigan – Saturday, 21 January 2012

January 19th, 2012 / Matt

QPR V Wigan

Date & Kick-Off: Saturday, 21 January 2012 â€“ 15:00 GMT

Venue: Loftus Road

Preview

Basement battlers QPR and Wigan go head-to-head for only the second in the Premier League in what few could deny is a relegation six-pointer. Just two points separate them at the foot of the table and with neither in any great shape or form, correctly predicting which way this one will go is anything but straightforward.

Home advantage would normally be a critical factor in these types of encounters, as Wigan shown when winning the reverse meeting at the DW Stadium 2-0. Not on this instance, though. Wigan, who prop up the division in 20TH, have only won twice away from home all season, during two smash and grab raids at Sunderland and West Brom, but that’s twice as many as Rangers, who have just one solitary home success to their name, against Chelsea way back in October.

Any manager will tell you that survival is built on strong, dependable foundations at your own ground. Just look at Swansea and Norwich for example, who have racked up plenty of points in their own backyards so far and are looking a better bet to stay up than Rangers. Fans are praying the appointment of Mark Hughes, who does have a proven record when it comes to turning club’s fortunes around, will ignite a revival.

Hughes’ first game in charge was at Newcastle. Although his team were on the wrong end of a 1-0 defeat, there was a lot to like about their performance. The defence was more resolute than we’ve seen recently, while the midfield displayed plenty of industry and endeavour. Up front, though, the Welshman faces a huge tasks transforming a bleak, uninspiring offensive line that has only plundered 19 goals all season â€“ only their opponents, Wigan, have found the net on fewer occasions in the top flight.

It’s obvious QPR are in desperate need of some fresh impetus, some new faces, and while we’re excited by some of the names linked with the club, we still await the first signing of the Hughes reign. In the meantime, Hughes must select from limited resources, a squad that isn’t the best when everyone is available, so to have Adel Taarabt and Armand Traore away on international duty, as well as Joey Barton out suspended, is far from ideal.

Rangers’ star man, Argentine midfielder Alejandro Faurlin, the player who pulls all their strings, is also out injured (for the remainder of the campaign). However Wigan, too, are missing one of their key midfielders, with the combative Mohamed Diame also away on international duty at the African Cup of Nations. But his absence didn’t appear to have that much of a detrimental affect on Monday, when the Latics were a little hard done-by to lose 1-0 to league leaders Man City.

That defeat to Man City extended Wigan’s run without a win in the Premier League to six, seven in all competitions if you include their shock exit from the FA Cup to League Two Swindon, while only Fulham have scored fewer goals on than travels than Roberto Martinez’s side.

The plus side for the visitors is they are playing a team in the embryonic stage of their transition under Mark Hughes, a team who like themselves have gone what will seem like an eternity without winning: QPR’s last Premier League win was on 19 November away at Stoke, when they won 3-2; they have lost seven of nine since. They have, though, progressed in the FA Cup, where they’ll meet West London rivals Chelsea in the fourth round after edging out League One MK Dons during the week in a replay.

Match Pointers

- Only their second ever meeting in the Premier League, with Wigan winning the first 2-0 at the DW Stadium on 27 August 2011.

- This will be their eighth encounter in all; the pair have two wins apiece while there have been three draws, although QPR did win the most recent at Loftus Road 1-0, in the very first season of the Championship in 2004.

- QPR (W4 D5 L12) have plummeted down the league, to 18TH, after going nine games and over two months without a Premier League win.

- Rangers have only recorded one win at home all season (W1 D4 L5), beating West London neighbours Chelsea 1-0 on 23 October.

- It is now six top flight games without a win for Wigan, who occupy 20TH in the Premier League but could climb out of the relegation zone with a win (though much will depend on how others fare over the course of the weekend).

- The Latics have the third leakiest defence in the division, conceding on average two goals per game (42 from 21 games), but the worst scoring figures with only 18 goals scored (QPR, with 19, are next).

- Both camps are missing African stars due to the African Cup of Nations: Adel Taarabt and Armand Traore are unavailable for QPR while Mohamed Diame is also away on international duty for the Latics.

Betting

Prediction: QPR to WIN @ 1/1 (Evens) WilliamHill

So much works needs to be done with this QPR team if they’re to stave off relegation. They were anything but convincing in their FA Cup third round replay with League One MK Dons on Wednesday, requiring a late winner from defender Danny Gabbidon to dig them out off what could so easily of been an embarrassing hole. On the basis of that last performance, we couldn’t go anywhere near the home side, but we have to take into consideration the calibre of their opponents this weekend.

Wigan are fast becoming a team you just do not back, regardless of the circumstances. Their shock exit from the FA Cup at the hands of League Two Swindon was followed by their twelfth league defeat of the season at home to Man City. Their performance in the latter was encouraging; however, Roberto Martinez will be all too aware that QPR remain a club in transition and will view this fixture very much as winnable, which in itself could be his and Wigan’s downfall.

The Latics can be a handful on the break, with Victor Moses a real livewire, but their defence is unpredictable and so unreliable. In a match Roberto Martinez has every right to believe can be won, I expect the visitors to show more ambition which in turn should allow the home side more time and space on the ball to attack a porous Wigan defence that leaks on average two goals per game.

Value Bet: QPR to score 4 or more goals @ 10/1 PaddyPower

I haven’t exactly spoke of QPR’s attackers in a positive light, yet this fixture is such that Mark Hughes’ men could help themselves to a couple against one of the Premier League’s leakiest defences. Wigan simply must show some ambition in this fixture, as only a win will lift them off the bottom, and that in itself equates to trouble.