After three draws, can the Baggies get back on the winning track?

During the week, the third round of the EFL Cup was on the agenda in the motherland of football. This weekend, the ball will be rolling again in the domestic championship. In the lower tier, the second-tier Championship, the ninth matchday is already on the agenda. After all, with 46 games, the players have to complete a truly mammoth programme. On Friday at 9pm, PL relegated West Brom face QPR

The home side have had former Bayern player Valerien Ismael as head coach since this season and are expected to achieve their mission of promotion. West Brom are currently third in the table and have not yet lost a game. The visitors, QPR stands for Queens Park Rangers, have also had a satisfactory start to the season and are in eighth position in the table.

While Ismael’s charges were expected to be in the top flight, QPR’s performances have been rather surprising. However, this also means that the bookmakers see a home win as the most likely outcome in the clash between West Brom and QPR on Friday night, according to current odds.

West Brom – Statistics & current form

From matchday seven of the 2020/21 season, West Bromwich Albion were consistently in a relegation spot. Accordingly, relegation loomed early, which was definitely an advantage in terms of planning security. With only 26 points and five wins in 38 games, the Baggies ultimately fell a long way short of staying in the relegation zone.

Ismael should give the club new impetus

Fresh wind should come in at the Thrushes (The Baggies) and with Valerien Ismael, the club quickly found what they were looking for. Ismael had rather unhappy coaching engagements in Germany with Nuremberg and Wolfsburg, but was then able to cause a sensation with his offensive and attractive football at LASK and most recently also at Barnsley.

The goal for this season, promotion, is clearly defined and so far the club is on the right track. Ismael’s only competitive defeat came heavily, but an elimination in the unloved EFL Cup (0:6 against Arsenal) did not have much of an impact.

Recently drawn three in a row

16 points collected by the relegated side in their first eight league games, leaving them two points behind current league leaders AFC Bournemouth. The Baggies started the season brilliantly and celebrated four victories in the first five games. It was only recently that a little bit of sand got into the gear and in the last three league games the promotion aspirants missed a victory – all three games ended with a point division.

Now they have to get back on the winning track in order to stay in the top flight. The interesting thing about West Brom against QPR is not only the home win prediction, but also the HT/FT 1/1. In the first leg, goalkeeper Sam Johnstone did not concede a single goal in all four home games And in both home wins (against Luton Town and fellow relegated Sheffield) the bet on half-time/final score was crowned with success.

Predicted West Brom line-up:
Johnstone – Ajayi, Bartley, Townsend – Reach, Livermore, Mowatt, Furlong – Philips, Diangana – Hugill.

Last matches played by West Brom:

QPR – Statistics & current form

This is the Londoners’ seventh season in a row in the Championship. For the most part, the Super Hoops have found themselves in no-man’s land in the table. They have rarely been in dire relegation trouble, and ambitions of a Premier League return have mostly been a pipe dream.

Upward trend under Mark Warburton

There has been something of an upward trend though, with results becoming more consistent since 59-year-old Mark Warburton took over at Queens Park. He took over the club in May 2019 and has played 109 competitive games so far, averaging 1.40 points per game. Not an outstanding figure, but the Championship is extremely balanced and last season saw a single-digit league finish for the first time since relegation in 2014/15.

A top ten finish can definitely be considered a great success, as according to the current squad value, Queens Park Rangers are just 17th in the Championship. The most famous name has Chris Willock, but the 23-year-old should not be confused with his younger brother Joe, who is a mainstay at Newcastle.

Famose start to season abruptly halted

In the first few weeks of the season, the Warburton eleven was still the big surprise. After six matchdays, the underdogs were still unbeaten and had three wins and three draws to show for it. Most recently, however, they suffered two defeats in a row in the championship. Outstanding, however, is the fact that QPR have scored at least once in all eight Championship games

The Baggies also scored during the week against Everton FC in the EFL Cup. Veteran Charlie Austin put the underdogs ahead twice, the Toffees equalised each time, but the second division side eventually celebrated a 10-9 victory on penalties to return to winning ways.

However, the short break will certainly be felt at the Hawthorns Stadium. In addition to the qualitative advantages, the home side should also have a physical advantage. Another argument in favour of betting on the home side in the West Brom vs QPR clash.

Predicted line-up of QPR:
Dieng – de Wijs, Barbet, Dickie – Johansen – McCallum, Willock, Chair, Odubajo – Gray, Dykes

Last matches played by QPR:

West Brom – QPR Direct comparison / H2H record

2014/15 the blades of the two clubs still crossed in the English Premier League, then the “Super Hoops” from London could win both the home and away game against West Brom.

This was followed by two games in the Championship in each of the 2018/19 and 2019/20 seasons, with West Brom usually coming out on top – three wins for WBA and one draw. Amongst others, West Brom celebrated a brilliant 7:1 home victory in 2018/19.

West Brom – QPR Tip

While the home side had just under a week to prepare for this game, the visitors were still in action on Tuesday night. Although QPR managed a sensational success, the Warburton eleven had to leave a lot of strength behind for it. In any case, the visitors are considered underdogs, but this double burden underlines the prediction on the home side in West Brom vs QPR.

After three draws in a row, only a full success counts for Ismael’s charges on Friday. After the regular odds are manageable with a maximum of 1.70, betting on the HT/FT 1/1 at very lucrative odds takes centre stage between West Brom and QPR The Baggies have yet to concede a first-half goal and, as a rested side, Ismael can be expected to insist on power pressing from the start to force an early goal